To Tame a Snake
by Kakashis-First-Kiss
Summary: Once Sasuke's seal falters, Orochimaru breaks free of his confines in Sasuke's mind. But now another Uchiha has taken Orochimaru prisoner-and he has no intention of letting him go. But what if they fall for each other? ItaOro. Spoilers for chapter 392.
1. Chapter 1

Orochimaru squirmed.

Sasuke's seal was breaking him from the chains he was brutally held down with. His arms were stretched out, chained at the wrists and held at absolute tension, allowing Orochimaru no movement. His legs were chained together at the ankles and stretched downward, allowing no movement there, either. His neck was chained down, a metal cuff as a necklace stained ruby with crimson blood. Finally, a blindfold covered his eyes, soft silk as a bitter irony to the brutality of the chains.

And that blindfold was slipping.

Orochimaru's left eye was free, and he opened it with a sudden flash, appearing in Sasuke's own left eye. Orochimaru could feel the chains around him slackening, and he pulled against them ever harder. Sasuke was having trouble keeping the headstrong sannin in check. But still, both tried to overcome the other, and Orochimaru grit his teeth in anger.

His left wrist came free.

Orochimaru gave a cry of joy and yanked off the blindfold, reaching over and pulling the chains off the rest of his body. He rose from the cold steel table he had been restrained on, and his soul broke loose from its confines. Orochimaru paused to offer Sasuke a bit of power, hoping to tempt the child enough into relaxing his guard so he could take over. Sasuke couldn't seem to make up his mind, and so Orochimaru made it for him. He initiated his hydra jutsu, and eight snake heads spewed from Sasuke's Curse Mark. Orochimaru could see Itachi's recognition through one of the snake's eyes, and knew it was time he emerged from his eternal prison.

A heart took its first beat.

Lungs inflated in a strong coughing breath, but long fangs were revealed as a mouth opened in a scream of victory. Golden eyes snapped open, taking in the world around them, and lengthy black hair cascaded down around bare white shoulders. Orochimaru realized his lack of clothing, but it was a small price to pay for being alive. He could take other's lives later, so long as he still had his.

"You finally show yourself."

Orochimaru felt a hand fasten around his throat and tear him from the suddenly-severed snake's heads. He crashed to the ground with a startled shout of surprise and pain. Orochimaru's chest heaved with heavy breaths, and he slowly raised his eyes to those of his attacker. Painted toenails gave way to standard issue shinobi sandals, pants, and then a long Akatsuki cloak, half of it burned away by the flames of lightning. Long black hair, loosed from its usual ponytail, blew in the slight breeze. A blood-stained face stared down at him, and dark eyes that betrayed nothing hid their Sharingan perfectly. Orochimaru's head slowly raised, and he kept his body angle pressed enough to the ground that salvaged the last of his dignity. Well, better his ass shown off than anything else…

"Itachi," Orochimaru whispered. "Good to see you again-ah!"

Orochimaru was roughly lifted from the ground and held across the hips by Itachi's cloaked arm, still striving to hide what should have been hidden to begin with. "Take a good, long look," he snarled, using his other hand to bend Orochimaru over to stare into glassy Sharingan eyes. "Now, aren't you glad you escaped that body?" Itachi whispered, gently moving his hand to rest between Orochimaru's shoulder blades. "Because I would have killed you, too. I'm ashamed of you, Orochimaru. Allowing yourself to be imprisoned in such a mediocre shinobi."

Orochimaru gave a shiver and unwittingly took a small step back. Itachi smirked and tossed Orochimaru to Zetsu, who barely emerged from the ground in enough time to catch him. He glanced at Itachi, the expression on his face clearly stating, "Well, whadda ya want _me_ to do with it?"

Itachi noticed this and rolled his eyes. "Carry him for me, duh," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He can't walk, and I barely can. So, if we can both make it to my room, we'll be safe." Itachi turned around and began slowly making his way back into the Akatsuki lair. With every step, his movements grew slower and heavier. Zetsu stayed slightly behind Itachi, carrying Orochimaru so his body angle was folded between his arms, still making efforts to spare him the smallest shred of dignity. Itachi finally collapsed to his knees, panting and clutching at his left eye. "Dammit," he swore, struggling to his feet again. Zetsu almost asked Itachi if he wanted help, but then took into accommodation Itachi's pride. If the Uchiha had no legs, he would walk on his hands. That was the theory, though no one had dared put it anywhere near testing. Finally, Itachi roused himself to his feet and continued down the hallway, finally turning off into his room. Right before he closed the door, he turned around and said to Zetsu,

"Do not-under any circumstances-eat my brother's body. Remove the eyes, and leave the eyelids closed. I will perform an experiment on it later. Keep Orochimaru with you. Clean him up, and allow him to regain his strength. Also allow him freedom in public areas, but keep an eye on him. I will not have him snooping around in forbidden places. Stick him in the library if he gets bored-he can amuse himself for that period of time until I wake up and can get to him."

And the door slammed.

OOOOOOOOOO

Orochimaru shrank back as Zetsu's gaze fell to him, but took Itachi's word and Zetsu's own fear of the Uchiha as a gift and remained silent. Zetsu sighed, rolled his eyes, and carried Orochimaru a few doors down. He opened the door and pushed Orochimaru inside, then locked it himself. Orochimaru subconsciously put his hands down, but remained standing, as if to prove a point.

"I'll eat it if I see it," Zetsu's black half snarled, and Orochimaru shivered with disgust. The white half, however, politely pointed Orochimaru to the bathroom, telling him he would be back with at least some boxers for Orochimaru to cover himself with. Orochimaru nodded his thanks, and Zetsu walked off to find clothes for Orochimaru. Orochimaru sighed and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself and slowly turning the lock. Orochimaru took a glance at himself in the mirror and shuddered.

"You're a mess," he whispered to himself, running a hand through his matted hair. Orochimaru found a comb under the sink and began brushing out his hair, starting from the bottom and working his way up. After half an hour, his hair was smooth enough to wash, and Orochimaru turned on the water and stepped into the hot stream of water coming from the shower. He washed off his hair first, scrubbing out the matted blood and slime from the snake's mouth. Next, he moved down across his body with the most soap he'd ever seen in his body, being careful to scrape every flake of dirt and gore off his porcelain skin. Finally, Orochimaru cleaned the crap out from under his nails, being sure that little to nothing remained to remind him of the painful ordeal of being chained down in Sasuke's mind. Orochimaru finally turned off the water, wrapped a towel around his waist, and wiped the fog off the mirror to comb his hair again. It only took him a few minutes this time; his hair was already combed out from before. Orochimaru took one last look, pushing the last section of hair over his shoulder, and let out all his pent-up breath.

"Much better."

He opened the door to the bathroom and found clean clothes piled next to the door. He picked these up and retreated back into the bathroom, changed out of the towel and into the half-fishnet shirt and shinobi pants, and then, on a whim, reached under the sink and emerged with a roll of bandages. He wrapped his lower legs, just for a bit of definition, then took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom. Zetsu glanced up, nodded once in approval, and extended his closed hand. Orochimaru drew closer, curious, and as he came closer, Zetsu opened his hand, revealing a pair of curved, dangling earrings.

"You left them twenty years ago, and Itachi liked them so much he decided to keep them. Problem was, he accidently pierced his ears too low, so there was a danger of them tearing under the weight. It was funny. The holes healed, but one got infected, so now he can't pierce it." Zetsu's white half smiled, and Orochimaru hesitantly accepted the earrings. "Go on, put 'em in. As long as the holes haven't closed up, I say go for it." Orochimaru shrugged and went back into the bathroom, softly closing the door. He immediately inspected the earrings for poison that could possibly get into his bloodstream. Finding none after a thorough investigation, he slowly put the earrings back into his ears.

"The holes were a little healed," he said slowly, explaining his absence, "So I needed to poke a little. But no, they weren't completely healed over." Zetsu seemed to barely mind, but nodded politely in recognition of Orochimaru's speech. Gathering no further reply, Orochimaru continued, "I take it I'm supposed to stay with you."

"Those were Itachi's orders."

Rather anti-social. Alright, Orochimaru could deal with that…"And where was this library Itachi spoke of?"

Zetsu stood up and beckoned Orochimaru after him. The sannin followed obediently, all the way down the entire hallway and through winding corridors after spinning hallways. Orochimaru's own complex was like this, but a foreign one he could never navigate after only one try. Maybe two, but mostly likely it would take him three trips to get there on his own-if he was allowed. Most likely he would need an escort and be forced to go everywhere with the permission and accompaniment of one of the Akatsuki or one of their affiliates.

Zetsu finally stopped before two large double-doors, pulled one open, and ushered Orochimaru in. "There are at least two people in here, so watch yourself," he hissed, and backed out of the room, letting the door slam.

The room was huge.

The ceiling was at least three stories high, a glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling and illuminating everything with a thousand candles. Massive bookshelves stood in rows on either side of an oriental carpet the stretched from one end of the room to the other. A woman with blue hair was sitting in a bean-bag chair off to the left, and a man with silver hair and red eyes was sitting at one of the tables to the right. Orochimaru immediately went down the lines of bookshelves, searching for something at random that would peak his interest. His finger trailed down the spine of several books, even hooking in the binding and pulling the book off the shelf, then turning it over and reading the back or the inside. Orochimaru finally settled on a documentary of the Kyuubi, its origin, the legends surrounding it, the like. He pulled one of the bean-bag chairs into the corner of the carpeted area and sat down, curling up and folding his legs off to the side. He opened the book and immediately lost himself, eyes skimming furiously over the pages and drinking in all the information. He was only interrupted by the woman getting up and leaving, and then again by the library door opening. Sasori stepped in and looked around, then headed over to Orochimaru and crouched down across from him. Orochimaru glanced up, waiting for Sasori to speak first.

"Itachi wants to see you."

Orochimaru's heart leapt into his throat, and he glanced frantically up at the clock. It had only been-! Five hours. Orochimaru shivered, then stood up and re-shelved the book. Sasori was waiting by the door when he came back, and escorted Orochimaru back through the endless maze of hallways. They finally stopped in front of a normal-looking door, one that looked no different than the rest. Sasori pushed it open and motioned Orochimaru inside, then nodded and closed the door.

Orochimaru was immediately spooked, and his golden eyes flickered around searching for Itachi. He spotted the Uchiha sitting on the couch, feet up and head tipped back, eyes closed. Was he asleep? Orochimaru was hoping so-

"Come here."

The order was simple and passage enough, but Orochimaru could hear the underlying tones of authority in it. He obeyed, slowly walking over to Itachi and stopping next to the Uchiha, waiting for his next order. Throughout the entire encounter, Itachi's eyes remained closed.

"Sit."

Orochimaru gingerly lowered himself to the couch next to Itachi, scooting over as far as the couch itself would allow. Itachi's eyes suddenly opened and glared at Orochimaru, but the sannin refused to shrink back before him, or show any sign of fear. He would not be belittled!

A harsh slap rang out across the room.

Orochimaru immediately moved to counter, but Itachi caught his wrist and yanked Orochimaru over to him. "You are not free, by any standards," he snarled. "You are lucky I have treated you so kindly thus far. In fact, you'd be lucky if I merely sent you straight down to the prisons after I caught you. But…I have a little something I thought you should know about."Orochimaru recoiled from Itachi's grasp, but the Uchiha only yanked him closer again. Orochimaru was beginning to los his arrogant air: he was shrinking back, and his breath was starting to pick up. His heart beat fast, and Orochimaru's confidence was dwindling fast.

"Orochimaru," Itachi whispered, "You should know by now that there's a reason I treated you so well."

Orochimaru wordlessly nodded, not liking the look in Itachi's eyes.

"Well, I'll give it to you straight. I hate lies. Orochimaru, ever since you were sealed away in Sasuke's mind, I've held off killing him until you could re-emerge. And why? Because I've always seen killing you as a waste. You almost broke away from me when I put you into Tsukiyomi, and I consider you a challenger as far as power goes. You could probably kill me right here and now, if you wanted to." Itachi glanced at Orochimaru, who only looked confused at this point. "I think…maybe, even as my prisoner, we can work this out somehow."

Orochimaru offered a blank stare.

Itachi sighed and let his head fall to the back of the couch, eyes closing and hiding murderous intent. "I treat you right, you never try for my body again. The Sharingan will never fall to you, Orochimaru. A snake that dreams of flying will only do so in the talons of an eagle. However, you can find your own ways around this…" Itachi opened his eyes slowly and with a sigh. "Well, Konan should be able to transplant Sasuke's eyes into me. I will have to ask her about that. In the meantime, you need something to do…" Itachi glanced around, then shrugged. "Well, you're smart. You'll figure something out. Food's in the fridge, just don't touch anything relating to fish. Kisame will be missing that. Anything else is free game unless otherwise specified. Eat when you're hungry, and you're welcome to the scrolls and books you may find around. Kisame should be back shortly, and you shouldn't have a problem. I need to find Zetsu." Itachi stood up and walked to the door, although rather slowly and awkwardly, and opened it. "Zetsu!" he called into the hallway. The Venus-flytrap of a man rose up out of the floor with a wet _squealch_ and glanced over Itachi's shoulder.

"Wow, he's still alive," the black half said dryly. "Once I heard you wanted him, I was sure he was dead."

"Shut up," Itachi growled, "And get Konan. Tell her I need her-oh, and where are Sasuke's eyes?"

Zetsu held up a jar filled with liquid, two eyeballs half-floating in the liquid. Itachi took the jar from Zetsu and nodded his thanks. "Can't wait to get these in," he muttered. "Go, get Konan," he sighed, closing the door. Itachi set the jar down on one of the refrigerator shelves, slammed the door shut and collapsed again next to Orochimaru.

"She'll be here any second. And when she does, I want you out of this room. Go into mine and just stay there until I call you."

Orochimaru sighed and released his coiled muscles, happy that Itachi wasn't going to beat him-yet. Who knows what the Uchiha had planned for him later? Orochimaru rose soundlessly and slipped into Itachi's room, softly closing the door as paper began gathering and shaping itself into the body of a tall, attractive woman. Orochimaru tentatively lowered himself to the bed, stretching out his legs a bit until he was leaning back, supporting his upper body weight on the heels of his hands. It took a few minutes, but once Orochimaru was fairly certain he wasn't going to die, he stretched out a bit more, lying out fully across the bed, and settling with his head on one of the pillows. For now, he would settle for catnapping here and there. He could hear murmuring in the room across from him, and Itachi saying something Sasuke's closest friend. Well, it made sense: for Itachi to gain the Mangekyou again, he would have to kill his closest friend. But, since the eyes were Sasuke's, he only needed to kill Sasuke's closest friend. Orochimaru turned onto one side, and felt his eyelids sliding closed. After fighting Sasuke's chains for so long, he was exhausted. Orochimaru felt his body being claimed by sleep, and finally allowed himself to be taken down into the inky abyss of relief.

OOOOOOOOOO

Orochimaru awoke to a hand between his shoulder blades.

He shot upright, hand immediately groping for a kunai. Out of habit, he reached down to under the pillow, where he usually had his hand wrapped around a kunai. Finding none, he glanced around frantically before realizing that it was a young woman with a grin on her face that had awoken him. Orochimaru calmed himself down with a few deep breaths, then nodded a greeting to Konan.

"Missed you," she said dryly. Orochimaru shook his head.

"I guess I could say the same," he murmured, pushing his hair out of his face. "So, what happened?"

"In the three days you were asleep?" Konan said, her smile growing larger. "Well, Itachi's eyes are working fine, and he told me to keep you within my sights at all times. He said he went out to get some dango."

Orochimaru gave a snort of laughter. "Sounds like him. But was it really three days?"

"Nowhere near," Konan admitted, "Only a day and a half."

Orochimaru shrugged. "Not bad. So, he gave me to you now?"

Konan's eyes suddenly darkened, and her face fell. "Technically, you still belong to Itachi," she said, her voice low. "But Pein's had his eye on you for all the time you've been here. Watch yourself, Orochimaru. Be submissive, but know when enough is enough and how to assert yourself effectively. It's a fine line you walk as Itachi's prisoner, as Pein is on par with Itachi and the two of them have short tempers. I wouldn't be surprised if they fought over you." Orochimaru swallowed hard. What a wonderful mess he'd gotten himself into, now, wasn't it?

"And…my village?" he asked. "Who has taken control?"

"Kabuto, of course," Konan replied evenly. "He took a few of your remains and put them into his own body, trying to keep you alive. Why, I don't know, but he did."

Orochimaru's head dipped, and he gave no reply. He knew exactly why, but he didn't want anyone else to know.

"Well," Konan said, standing up with a pat to the sheets on either side of her thighs, "I'll just be going now. Pein's room is adjacent to the library, so if you ask nicely he might let you through." Konan smiled and left the room, closing the door as she left. Orochimaru sighed, reached over to the nightstand next to the bed, and turned on the light there. He took a look around; clearly this was not Itachi's room. It was a bit more feminine, and had origami all over it. Obviously Konan's room. Orochimaru hesitantly stood up, getting his bearings as he did so. He slipped his shoes back onto his feet and walked over to the door, grasping the knob in his hand and slowly turning it.

He almost ran into Pein.

"Oh, sorry," he said, immediately stepping to the side. "I was wondering if maybe you could let me into the library-?"

"Of course," Pein said impatiently, taking Orochimaru's wrist in his hand and pulling him out into the main room. Orochimaru was led into Pein's room, a large, lavish one much like his own in Oto. Orochimaru hardly got a glimpse, however, as he was tugged into a closet: or rather, a tiny corridor leading into the library. Orochimaru was pushed into the passageway, and then the door slammed behind him. Orochimaru took a long, deep breath, then crossed the three-foot-long tunnel and opened the door at the other end. He was immediately dumped into the back of the library, as promised by Konan and Pein alike, and he made a beeline for the books.

And he was only leaving when someone made him.

**A/N: Wow, I really like this. I could write the entire story right now, but at current I'm looking for reviews. So, drop a line, let me know what you think! Flames will be reported and then fed to my pet fire demon.**


	2. Chapter 2

"And so…? What happened after that?"

"It was like chains coming off…I just shoved him aside and came out using the hydra jutsu."

Pein sat down across from Orochimaru, who was kneeling on the floor in front of him. Orochimaru, though, refused to bow further to Pein. He had already acknowledged the other's superiority, and to quite an extent. A simple bow would have acknowledged that, and yet here Orochimaru was, kneeling on the floor in front of Pein. The multi-pierced man has a pensive look on his face, and he said nothing for a long time. Finally, he extended a foot and poked Orochimaru in the ribs.

"You're skinny."

Orochimaru bit back a harsh reply, swallowing the truth that Pein hadn't allowed him much food in the past week that he'd been with Akatsuki. Even when he was with Itachi, Pein had ordered the Uchiha to keep him thin and desperate for food. Itachi, though, often slipped Orochimaru what he didn't want to eat: pieces of meat, apple skins, the like. He wasn't supposed to, and hid it very well, but Orochimaru still followed at his heels like a starving dog.

"But not skinny enough."

Pein's words caused Orochimaru's heart to plummet. Pein was going to force Itachi to cut Orochimaru's food again…and then Itachi would be giving him one meal a day. Orochimaru had already lost weight: why did Pein want him so skinny?!

"Itachi, cut his food again. He's still getting too much."

"Leader-sama, he's lost a lot of weight already," Itachi said, choosing his words carefully. "May I inquire as to why you want him so thin?"

"If he's thin, he's hungry. And if he's hungry, he'll obey, because he doesn't want his food cut again. I want him submissive and under control at all times."

"Leader-sama, with all due respect, he has been nothing but for as long as I've had him. I think a reward-and-punishment system would work better, no? Increasing his food a bit when he behaves himself for an extensive period of time, and taking some away when he acts up. It would encourage him a bit more, don't you think? After all, if he gets desperate, he might be driven to extreme measures, and if he is only be punished, he won't be encouraged to do something right. All we will be doing is taking a neutral stand and bringing him back to that square one whenever he acts up. If we actively encourage him to behave, we might get better results."

Pein seemed to turn this over in his mind a bit. It was true that if Orochimaru got desperate, he would get dangerous. And he would probably only offer what he was asked, nothing more, nothing less, if he wasn't encouraged to do otherwise. Pein finally sighed and stood up. "Go with that," he said. "Itachi, you make a very convincing argument. We'll test this little theory over the course of a month. If it seems to have an effect, I will allow it to continue. If not, we do it my way. Sound fair?"

It was a lot more than Itachi had hoped for. "Of course, Leader-sama," he replied. "Now, if I may take him…?"

"Go. Dismissed, both of you."

Itachi gave a small bow to Pein and beckoned Orochimaru after him as he moved towards the door. Orochimaru hastily stood up, bowed to Pein, and followed Itachi out of the room. Once the door was closed and they were safely out of hearing distance, Orochimaru whispered,

"Thank you."

Itachi was pleasantly surprised; Orochimaru never spoke until spoken to, and even then he would avoid making a sound. Now, the sannin was speaking for himself! "For what?" Itachi asked. "Getting you a reasonable amount of food? It's nothing. You just need to know how to handle Pein and how to sweet talk him."

Orochimaru gave a hum of affirmation, still tagging along at Itachi's heels. They reached Itachi's room, and Orochimaru waited for Itachi to go first before stepping into the apartment, turning around, and locking the door. Itachi went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and came back out with a plastic container.

"Come here."

Orochimaru obeyed, curiosity in his eyes. Itachi pushed the container into Orochimaru's hands, saying, "Since you're allowed to have it now. As long as you don't give me a reason to take it away, you'll get two full meals a day. Since Pein wants you skinny, I probably can't give you more than that. But still, a bit of food between those meals may not hurt, right?" Itachi smiled and handed Orochimaru a pair of chopsticks and a knife, then went into the sitting area just beyond the kitchen. "You can stay in there and eat, if you want. Or you could come in here. As long as you clean up after yourself, and by that I mean don't leave the dishes lying around, I don't care where you eat."

"I'll stay in here," Orochimaru said quietly. "Thank you." He sank to the floor against one of the cabinets, opening the container and finding himself staring at a large chunk of steak, which he recognized as Itachi's dinner leftovers. Orochimaru shrugged. Good enough for him! Orochimaru finished the meat rather quickly. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. He washed his hands, put everything in the sink, washed his face, and then went into the sitting area where Itachi was. The Uchiha was leaning back on the couch, feet kicked up and a book propped on his stomach. Orochimaru fished a paperback out from under the very edge of the couch and settled at Itachi's feet on the floor, opening the book to a scrap of paper stuck between the pages to mark his place. Orochimaru could read for hours, slave or not-it had always allowed him to escape the everyday, and to rise to new heights and explore new worlds. As cheesy as it sounded, Orochimaru enjoyed the escape, especially now.

The doo opened.

Orochimaru glanced up, saw Kisame, shuddered, and looked back down. Kisame wasn't exactly pampering him as far as treatment went. Orochimaru slipped the paper between the pages of his book again, softly closing it and sliding it under the couch when Kisame wasn't looking. He waited for the usual order to come before standing up and walking over to Kisame.

"Get over here, you piece of crap."

Well, new name. Either way, Orochimaru knew it was him who was being yelled at and rose to his feet, bare soles of his feet making no noise against the carpeting of the sitting area or on the tiled floor or the kitchen and hallway entry. Orochimaru was met by a sneer and Kisame turning away to set Samehada down against the wall, but still, he waited. He knew it was coming…

There it was.

Kisame's hand flashed out and hit the side of Orochimaru's face dead on, but this slap was especially hard. Orochimaru gave a cry of pain as Kisame struck old bruises and formed new ones, falling to the ground and reeling from the blow. A swift kick to the ribs persuaded him to his feet, and Orochimaru soon found himself being shoved over by Kisame stuffing his Akatsuki cloak into his arms. "Take care of that," he growled, and stomped off to the sitting area. He collapsed in a chair, sighing and putting his feet up on the ottoman in front of him. Itachi hardly glanced up as Orochimaru came back in and knelt at his feet again: he knew what was coming.

"Rough day?"

Kisame nodded. "Yeah, Hidan decided he wanted to switch matches with Kakuza, which meant I got to fight Kakuza. So much fun."

Itachi shut the book and sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the couch and trying not to hit Orochimaru in the head. The snake scooted over to lean against Itachi's lower legs, eliciting a sneer from Kisame.

"You let him do that?" he snarled. "If that were me, he'd be in so deep. First of all for even getting that close to me, second of all for touching me, and third of all for making like I give a shit about him."

Orochimaru unknowingly crowded closer to Itachi.

"Stupid little animal, that's what he is. Itachi, you need to discipline him. You're constantly spoiling him, treating him like one of us. It doesn't happen."

"Oh, see if I care," Itachi snapped. One hand came to rest on Orochimaru's raven hair, gently stroking it and calming him down a bit. "I've never really cared to begin with, but it's when you say things like that, Kisame, that I get angry and care even less, simply because it's the opinion of a bonehead like you."

Kisame gave a snort of laughter. "You feed him twice a day, even though Pein tells you otherwise. He slip him the best cuts of the meat-yes, I can see that-you give him the fresh fruit, you never hit him for anything-he could get away with murder if he's in your line of sight! And I'll tell you why-because everyone else is afraid to stand up to you!"

Itachi sighed. "He gets the fat of the meat, and even you don't eat that. He gets the skins of the apples I don't eat, and he is only disciplined if he does something wrong. I've hit him yet-but only when he deserved it."

"You still feed him twice a day," Kisame grumbled. "And you're not supposed to do that."

"Actually, I just met with Pein," Itachi said easily. "He agreed with me that a reward-and-punishment system would work better for us all. We're encouraging him to behave himself, instead of just beating him back to square one every time he does something wrong."

Kisame snorted again and stood up. "His reward is his life," he bit back, "And his virginity. You seen half the people here checkin' him out? Me included. I want him in bed."

Itachi glared at Kisame and stood up, stepping in front of Orochimaru. "If you so much as lay a hand on him inappropriately, I'll make sure that you feel so much pain you won't be able to feel at all for a week before the pain finally kicks in!"

Orochimaru was trembling now. He had noticed the stares and whispers, but never thought that people would be discussing his virginity! His chastity was something that Orochimaru had taken very seriously ever since he knew what it was, and had decided to only give himself to a lover he would spend the rest of his life with. He wasn't going to foolishly throw himself at people, or hand out his entire self on a silver platter. Someone would have to be truly special to Orochimaru to earn the level of trust that he would allow them to take his virginity. And Kisame certainly wasn't one of those!

Kisame's lips peeled off his teeth in a nasty grin. "Well, then, I'll just pass the message along." He walked back to the door, jammed his feet into his shoes, and walked out, slamming the door again. Itachi sighed and sat down again, almost trapping Orochimaru under his legs had the sannin not slithered out of the way, darting in and around Itachi's legs like a viper.

"I won't let them touch you," Itachi reassured, leaning over and putting his arms around Orochimaru's prominent ribs. "I make no promises about the beatings, but I'll try to hold them off for you." Itachi lifted Orochimaru onto the couch and set him down next to him, ignoring Orochimaru's protests and shocked expression. "Sound fair?"

Orochimaru could only nod wordlessly as Itachi pulled him over next to his body and put an arm around his shoulders, holding Orochimaru close and gently kissing his soft black hair. "Good. I just want you to know that I will treat you with respect, even as a prisoner. I don't ever want you to feel uncomfortable or unsafe around me. Can you live with that?"

Orochimaru wasn't sure what Itachi was doing. What game was he playing? Did he genuinely care about Orochimaru? Or was he like all the others, and simply wanted Orochimaru for his body? Was he just trying to win him over so he could take him, and then discard him like trash? Orochimaru couldn't understand any of this, but he decided to at least give Itachi a chance. If the Uchiha even started kissing him more than Orochimaru would like, he would distance himself a bit until Itachi backed off. With this plan firmly in mind, Orochimaru finally nodded, and Itachi smiled. He gently turned Orochimaru's face to his and placed a soft, breathy kiss on Orochimaru's lips.

"I just hope you can trust me."

OOOOOOOOO

The days passed quickly for Orochimaru. He tended to Itachi, doing whatever the Uchiha asked of him, and then settling down with the latest book to read. He and Itachi had come to a new understanding with each other, and Orochimaru respected Itachi a lot more. Mostly because Itachi treated Orochimaru with respect, but also because he had stepped in when Orochimaru got stuck in a situation there seemed to be no way out of-like when Kisame had gotten half the Akatsuki to gang up on Orochimaru when he was alone.

Itachi had asked Orochimaru to get a scroll for him in the library. On his way over, Orochimaru had come across Kisame. In any other situation, he would have simply kept walking. However, this time was different. Kisame's hand had flashed out, catching Orochimaru's arm and throwing him into the wall. Orochimaru let out a startled gasp of surprise and tried to slide away off to the side, only to be met by more Akatsuki. Kisame loomed in front of him, Hidan to the right, Zetsu to the left, and Hidan and Sasori behind Kisame. Orochimaru wasn't sure what was going on, but had tried to politely excuse himself and slip away between two of the Akatsuki. He had gotten almost all the way through when a hand fastened on one of his arms in a steely grip.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Orochimaru was shoved back into the wall by Hidan, and he found himself suddenly on his rear on the ground, staring up into Kisame's angry face. "So, you got plans for tonight?" Kakuza asked, crouching down behind Orochimaru. "Just wondering…you know, seen you around and all-"

"I-I'm sorry, I can't-"

"What? Scared? Poor little slave, where's Itachi? Not protecting you now? Aw, I suppose he's just given up on you." Zetsu's black half was grinning like a Chesire cat, and he brought his foot down dangerously close to Orochimaru's hand, forcing the sannin to shift his weight off his hands and onto his hips to turn away and save the fine bones in his hand. Unfortunately, this drove him right into Kakuza's arms.

"Such a pretty face," the missing-nin purred, one hand drifting down Orochimaru's back. The sannin was suddenly pulled to his feet and turned so his back was against the wall, then shoved back until he was brutally ground into the wall. Orochimaru gave a startled yelp of surprise, which was stifled by a rough kiss from light blue lips. Kisame had taken Orochimaru's upper arms in a firm grip, holding him to the wall as he stole a precious kiss from Orochimaru. Orochimaru, frightened, began to shove at Kisame's shoulders, trying to force the shark-man off. But, instead of moving away, Kisame kissed Orochimaru harder, resulting in a strangled cry of desperation and bitter writhing in pain. Kisame's lips were beginning to bruise Orochimaru's, and blood was flowing from various bites. Kisame abruptly shoved his tongue between Orochimaru's parted lips, biting down harshly when Orochimaru nipped at his own tongue, trying to drive him out. Kisame pushed Orochimaru down the wall until his knees buckled, forcing him to rely on Kisame to stay upright. Orochimaru struggled to get his legs back underneath him, only to be shoved down again. He found that this kept him from kicking, and Kisame already had his arms. He was helpless as Kisame's tongue hit the back of his throat, choking him into submission. Hot tears of rage and fear flowed down Orochimaru's face as he continued to try to fight Kisame, yanking his head away and twisting back and forth. Kisame was suddenly aided by a dozen other hands, pulling Orochimaru back into a hot body coursing with electricity. Orochimaru's muffled cries continued as harsh teeth delivered a bite to his shoulder, and he continued o fight, despite the punishments he was receiving: smacks, punches, kicks, even harsher bites, as he fought Kisame and the others harder and harder.

_"What do you think you're doing?!"_

Kisame's lips suddenly stopped pressing against Orochimaru's, and slowly removed themselves from his bloody, torn mouth. Orochimaru's mouth hung half-open, drawing in heaving breaths, the movement of his chest exaggerated by his arms, which had been wrenched back behind his back and held in place by Hidan. Ah, so it was him and Zetsu who had been biting him. And then Sasori was kicking his legs out from underneath him, and Kakuza must have been the one punching and slapping him…Orochimaru let out a tiny whimper of distress, eyes pleading with this newcomer to help him.

It was Pein.

"Taking him first?" Pein murmured, walking past Kisame to Orochimaru. "I'm ashamed! Kisame, I told you to leave him for me!"

"He's been kissed before," Kisame snarled. "I wasn't going any further, anyway. I was only going to do so after you got here."

Pein smirked. "Well, in that case…you may have him. I'll take him tonight."

Orochimaru's heartbeat suddenly picked up again as Kisame approached. "No," he gasped, yanking against Hidan's hold. "No, don't-!"

Orochimaru was cut off as Kakuza delivered a brutal slap to his face, ringing out down the entire hallway. Orochimaru's legs gave out with a cry of agony, and he was left hanging from Hidan's arms. Sasori kicked Orochimaru hard in the thighs. "Stand up!" he shouted, and Zetsu punched him hard in the ribs. Orochimaru let out a choked sob, threw back his head, and _screamed._

_"Itachi-sama!!!!"_

The Uchiha came running, just as Kisame had screamed, "How dare you!" and pulled Orochimaru into another kiss. Orochimaru's tears flowed freely again, and, despite the abuse, continued fighting against Kisame's hold.

The kiss was abruptly ended.

Kisame found himself halfway through the opposite wall, and then in black, white and red. Kisame glanced around, gulped, and then started screaming. Back in the real world, Itachi was even angrier, and dropped Kisame's cloak to turn to the rest of the Akatsuki and say,

"Let the bodies hit the floor."

Several puffs of smoke ensued.

Orochimaru fell to the floor, trembling and wiping blood from his face. He glanced up at Itachi, terrified, and then looked down again, trying to at least get the spit off his mouth from Kisame's messy intrusion. Itachi knelt down across from Orochimaru, the Mangekyou disappearing from his eyes, and put one hand under Orochimaru's chin. Slowly and carefully, he lifted the sannin's face to his, and placed a soft, chaste kiss on his bruised lips. The kiss broke almost as soon as it began, and Orochimaru shivered at the contact. Itachi swept Orochimaru off the floor into his arms, stood up, and walked away, leaving the rest of the Akatsuki behind. He took Orochimaru straight to his room, where he cleaned him up and used a bit of irou ninjutsu he had copied from Konan to heal the bites and bruises all over Orochimaru's body. Orochimaru stayed with Itachi almost twenty-four-seven for the next few days, but soon recovered and returned to normal.

But he was still terrified of Kisame.

Every time he saw the missing-nin, he would shy away in fear, seeking out Itachi for the comfort and safety. Kisame would just snicker and insult him, then just keep on walking. Orochimaru just made sure he was sitting at Itachi's feet whenever Kisame was around, just to establish who he really wanted to be with. That Orochimaru would willingly submit himself to Itachi was a feat in and of itself, but the real killer was how Itachi had managed to gain Orochimaru's trust in such a short period of time. No one knew why Orochimaru trusted Itachi so extensively, but he did. And most left it at that.

But not Itachi. Ever since he had gotten his hands on Orochimaru again, he had began looking at him in a new light. No, not even new: just an old light with a new color shade in front of it. Yes, there was the lust for power, the search for immortality, the headstrong part of his personality, the maniacal kind, the insane part…and then there was something else…something Orochimaru hid very well, and that Itachi hardly ever knew existed. And that was the part of Orochimaru that contained emotions like fear and love. The emotions he himself had hid away, had done away with, long before he had even met Orochimaru, and possibly before he had ever heard of him. But now, they were surfacing again in Orochimaru. The attack on him a few days ago proved that. Orochimaru feared Kisame, yes, and he also wanted to be around Itachi more and more, but there was something else…Itachi couldn't quite put his finger on it…finally, the Uchiha shook his head and dismissed the thoughts. He could ponder this later, after he sorted himself out.

Unlike Orochimaru, Itachi was growing on the sannin in quite a different way. Itachi was beginning to view Orochimaru as more of a love interest, as a partner, than anything else. He knew Orochimaru couldn't possibly return these feelings yet, but he could at least try to sort himself out first. Orochimaru was beautiful, yes, anyone could see that. But Itachi saw beyond that. He saw the soft emotions hidden firmly away under a guise of tough exterior and power. He saw the infinite pain tucked beneath a stoic shell that pushed people away for fear of being hurt again-betrayed, left, hurt, and then hurt again. Itachi knew Orochimaru wanted none of this ever again-and that was why he continued to push people away from him. He didn't want the pain of losing something he had worked so hard to gain, and he didn't want to have anything to lose when going into a battle that he might not come out of. Orochimaru truly had nothing, and as he lay here, next to Itachi, they could both see that. Orochimaru had another nightmare and had woken drenched in sweat and screaming. Itachi had helped him to the bathroom, wiped off his face and got him a drink of water, then the two of them went back to the bedroom and Orochimaru lay down again. But neither could sleep, out of fear for the other. Finally, Itachi just up and walked over to Orochimaru, climbed into the bed behind him, and wrapped his arms around the startled man's torso.

"I won't leave you. Now calm down, and go to sleep."

Itachi had vowed right then and there to protect Orochimaru, to gain his trust, and to take him for his own. Orochimaru was his, and that was not to be disputed. Once he could be freed, Itachi wanted Orochimaru to run right back to him. Maybe it was Itachi who needed the relationship more than Orochimaru-sure as hell he wanted it more. But Orochimaru needed to be tamed slowly and carefully-a horse realizing that a person has come into their field with a halter and a lead rope will certainly shy away. But if one can distract the animal with a treat or a reward, the animal will come running. And then one can quietly slip the bridle onto the horse's head, and the horse will trust you by then and allow you to lead it wherever you will. And so it must be with Orochimaru. The snake could not be allowed to see the bridle in Itachi's hand behind his back; he may only see the reward in his forward hand. And by the time he is finished with that, Itachi would have tamed him. And thus, Itachi decided to go about taming Orochimaru, for himself and himself alone.

**A/N: Just bear in mind that I only update with reviews. The more reviews, the faster the update. So, if you like it, don't keep it to yourself!**


	3. Chapter 3

Kisame was in a particularly bad mood today.

Orochimaru found this out when he approached Kisame to take his Akatsuki cloak and whatever else he may have for Orochimaru to deal with, and apparently it wasn't happening fast enough. After a thorough beating and firm kicking around, Orochimaru was flat on the floor with Samehada and Kisame's cloak over his quivering body.

"Where's Itachi?" Kisame snarled, pacing past the fallen snake and marching straight to the fridge. Orochimaru slowly stood up and answered:

"He left on that mission he was assigned a few hours ago," he murmured, putting Kisame's cloak in the closet. "He said he would be back in a week and I was to stay with you unless otherwise summoned."

A smirk came across Kisame's face as the fridge door closed. "Is that so?" he muttered. Already he was popping the cap off a bottle of beer, and Orochimaru knew what was coming next. Kisame was usually nasty when he got drunk, and got drunk when he was in a bad mood to begin with. The best thing to do was usually to simply avoid the shark-man, but, seeing as it was a little late now, he would just have to put up with it and hope Kisame passed out in time to save his life. If he was lucky, someone would intervene and get him out of there-but Orochimaru hadn't been very lucky lately…

"Get over here."

Orochimaru swallowed hard and crossed the kitchen to where Kisame was leaning against the counter, taking long swigs of the beer he held in his hand. The other was braced on the counter behind him, legs crossed at one ankle and half-extended. "What the hell have you been doin'…" Kisame straightened to run one hand down the side of Orochimaru's face. "You're almost free of bruises…what, Itachi didn't bother to hit you last time ya screwed up?"

"I…Itachi-san has not hit me as of late because he has not seen reason to." Orochimaru chose his words carefully. If he wanted to get out of this alive, he would need to use every ounce of his skill at telling people the truth, but wording so it sounded like what they wanted to hear. "If you want to know why I am uninjured, you will have to ask Itachi-san."

Kisame gave a grunt of "whatever" and returned to his beer momentarily. "Well, I'm going to take it you're still a virgin." It was more statement than question, but Orochimaru nodded in affirmation anyway. "Pein's been lookin' to change that." Orochimaru could tell Kisame was absorbing the alcohol at a rapid rate: he needed to get out of there soon if he wanted his body in one piece.

"Kisame-san, I really think I should-"

"That's Kisame_-sama_ to you, brat."

Orochimaru took the backhand that accompanied Kisame's words without a sound, falling to his knees with little more than a flinch. Kisame kicked him hard in the ribs, and this time Orochimaru did complain. His let out a harsh grunt of pain as he was kicked back into the wall, then tried to stand to avoid the follow-up he knew was coming. Kisame, however, beat him to it, striking viciously with fists and kicks, coldly striking Orochimaru down, blow by blow. Orochimaru had been driven into a corner by now: all the way on the other side of the apartment. He had made it to his feet once and taken off, only to be picked up and thrown back across the whole room. He landedon the ground in a roll to take the impact of the fall, then tried again to stand and run. Kisame had simply stridden over to him, crossing the room in only six steps, and aimed a well-placed punch at Orochimaru's face. It sent him flying, and the snake slammed into the wall again. Blood flowed from a split lip, and also from multiple lacerations all over his body. Cuts and bruises from where he had hit something in being thrown around speckled Orochimaru's pale skin, showing up as harsh contrasts to the stark white. Orochimaru instinctively drew his arms up to his body, trying to protect himself, but his efforts were thwarted. Kisame seized one slender wrist, hauled Orochimaru to his knees in front of him, and kicked him in the torso. Orochimaru doubled over in pain, coughing blood, screams of agony soon accompanying the sickening thud of flesh hitting flesh. Orochimaru's stomach turned at the next punch to the gut, and he felt the incessant urge to vomit up everything he had eaten in the past day or so. Orochimaru's stomach contents soon ended up on the floor with a terrible amount of retching, and Kisame's upper lip twitched in disgust.

"You're cleaning that up," he growled, "But first, you're dead for even getting that all over!"

"And who's fault is that!" Orochimaru screamed, trying his best to put some distance between him and Kisame. Despite his efforts, however, Kisame's grip did not relent, and he was yanked right back to Kisame's feet. "How is it my fault that you're beating the shit out of me so bad that I throw up? It's always my fault! Well, I have news for you, I can't take the blame for all your petty, insignificant problems. You're acting like a two year old!"

"_Shut up! Did I say you could speak?"_

Orochimaru knew it was coming. Oh, he knew how bad it was going to be. He knew he had gotten himself in deep with this one. But hey, he was already dead. What was a little more mud? "See if I care!" he spat, still pulling away from Kisame. "I'm not your fuck toy! I can't always take the brunt of your emotions! I have problems of my own, far greater than yours! Don't even try to tell me you have the right to treat me this way-!"

"_SHUT UP!"_

Orochimaru found himself losing consciousness at the next blow, and this fell on the back of his neck. His last thought was something resembling, "I am so fuckin' dead," but he decided to take advantage of the opportunity and escape the bitter pain.

OOOOOOOOO

When Orochimaru woke up, the first thing he felt was cold.

Metal cuffs encircled his wrists and ankles, which were bloody and chaffed from his subconscious struggles. Or maybe conscious and he simply couldn't remember…Orochimaru shook himself and sat up, testing his limits. The chains clinked ominously, and Orochimaru found that they had been placed around his wrists, ankles, and neck. A collar? To insult him so! Still, Orochimaru knew he couldn't do anything to change it, not now anyway. It was too late in the game for anything to change, except Orochimaru's situation in a definitely negative way. The snake found the blood and bruises covered virtually his entire body, and that they were concentrated around the chains-and, humiliatingly, his hips. Orochimaru was beginning to wonder what exactly had gone on while he was unconscious, but then realized he had no pain in that area, so he was safe for the moment.

For the moment.

But even so, he knew that moment would last long, as he was naked anyway. Well, shit, wasn't that lovely? Someone had beat him, stripped him, beat him some more, and then chained him down and left him in this pathetic excuse for a room. Honestly, Orochimaru could see mold growing on the clammy, wet walls. Between the bricks, the mortar was rotting, and it looked as if it was rotting from old, dried blood. Orochimaru shivered, both in cold and fear. It was like a scene right out of a horror movie…now all he needed was the bars across the window-whoops, no window! The door was made of a heavy wood with a metal handle and metal reinforcements, and a metal handle that only opened from the outside. Orochimaru could feel the cold air creeping in anyway, though, and subconsciously curled up into a ball, trying to keep himself warm. It was then that he noticed a dingy, cobweb-covered light above him, turned off and simply hanging from its respectful place in the ceiling. Orochimaru dryly questioned how long it had been there, and then realized it was more of a question of how long it was going to stay there, because clearly it had been there for centuries. Light suddenly filtered in through a small window at the top of the door, just large enough to allow both human eyes to glance through. There were still vertical bars across it, though, and Orochimaru wondered why. He couldn't even fit his hands through there, let alone anything else! The light grew stronger, and Orochimaru realized that someone was turning on lights in the hallway. Was someone coming for him? His heart picked up, struggling with the situation. His animal instinct told him to run, and run fast. But his rational mind was reminding him of the chains he was on-a rather short leash, for that matter. Orochimaru's grip on his legs tightened, and his tried to lean forward and hide his last shred of dignity.

And then he heard the footsteps.

Soft at first, but they echoed slightly in the stone of the prisons. But in the confines of Orochimaru's own mind, they echoed like gunshots in the silence, haunting his sanity and threatening to tear it apart and devour it like a hungry tiger dines on fresh meat. Orochimaru inched backwards, unknowingly panicking and trying to make himself as small as possible. "Fight or flight" now meant nothing to him: it was "don't get noticed, or you get shot." Orochimaru could hear the footsteps getting louder and louder, even in his distorted perception of reality, and his body was going crazy. His heart was ready to explode, his lungs were pumping oxygen through his body at a frightful rate, his entire body was shivering, his nervous system was feeling pain already-

The door opened, and Orochimaru's heart almost stopped from relief.

Itachi stood in the doorway, looking surprised.

"Orochimaru," he said softly, watching the sannin slowly calm himself down. His heart began to calm, and his breathing slowed a bit. The shaking stopped, and Orochimaru slowly uncurled a bit. He still tried to hide his more intimate moments, despite the identity of his visitor-or his savior. Itachi crouched down in front of Orochimaru, slowly running a hand over the pale man's face. "What happened to you?" he questioned, slowly caressing his abused cheek. Orochimaru shivered again at the touch, shaking his head and scooting back, away from Itachi's traitorous hand. Itachi pursued him though, looking deep in thought and absent as he hooked two fingers in Orochimaru's harsh metal collar. Orochimaru still tried to shrink away, even as Itachi pulled him closer, ignoring the gentle words that escaped Itachi's normally tightly-sealed lips.

"Come on, don't be like that," Itachi coaxed. "Pein tells me he locked you in here days ago. With the way you were beaten, I'm not surprised you were out completely for that long. He said that Kisame was about to kill you, so he decided you were better as a hostage and put Kisame in detox. Amazing, the things that man does when he's drunk." Itachi rolled his eyes, then reached into his cloak and pulled out a small key. "I persuaded him to hand it over." Itachi offered Orochimaru a tiny smile, which the sannin refused to return, and set about unlocking the chains around his now-quite-skinny body. Orochimaru remained silent the entire time, shaking his head yes or no when asked a question and hardly making a sound. In fact, the only sound he ever emitted was a pained yelp when Itachi allowed a chain to fall on his fractured wrist. Itachi healed it immediately, pursing his lips in suppressed anger as he realized what had really been done to Orochimaru in his absence. Orochimaru could catch occasional mutterings of, "I'm going to kill him," and, "That shark is going to be my dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow-and that's if I mutilate enough of him that he isn't edible anymore." Orochimaru would simply shrink away in horror, ignoring Itachi's whispered comforts and simply wanting to be alone at the moment-or huddled in the arms of his lover, so far away back in Oto. Orochimaru was truly homesick at this point-he wanted out, and he wanted out now!

Itachi froze.

Orochimaru glanced up at him, though quickly redirected his gaze. He wanted nothing to be accused of, and one never knew how ridiculous his crazed captors could get. Itachi's eyes travelled over Orochimaru's entire body, then he stood up and retraced his optical steps. Finally he said,

"I want to do a rape kit on you."

Orochimaru's eyes widened. "Y-You really think…?"

Itachi sighed. "Stand."

Orochimaru slowly did as he was told, pressing his back to the wall as he did so. What did Itachi want? The Uchiha backed several steps, then glanced at Orochimaru's pale hands, hovering over his "man parts." Itachi beckoned Orochimaru over to himself, waiting while the sannin hesitantly took a few steps forward, stopping a good four feet away from Itachi and blushing furiously. Itachi was highly amused to find that Orochimaru didn't blush pink-he blushed peach. And right now, his skin was so flushed it almost looked normal. Itachi's eyes raked Orochimaru's beaten, tortured body one last time, and finally he asked,

"Any pain in your…um, well, frankly, does your ass hurt?"

Orochimaru shook his head slowly, surprised by how blunt Itachi had been. Sasuke's older brother slowly pulled off his cloak, stepping forward to a shaking Orochimaru and wrapping the cloak around him, pulling it closed in the front and stepping back again, allowing Orochimaru a bit of space. The snake-man closed the cloak over himself in a daze, making sure it was secure before gazing up at Itachi with a pleading look in his eyes. Itachi found himself falling for Orochimaru all over and suddenly strode forward, crossing the three feet between them in a single step and throwing his arms around Orochimaru. Orochimaru started and tried to back away, only to find a hand in his shoulders and another in his lower back. Orochimaru simply gave up at that point: there was nothing left in the world, and it was crashing down around his ears. Why? Why him? Why was it always him? Always and every time, he was the one to suffer. Orochimaru released a choked sob and let his hands slowly creep up Itachi's shoulder until they encircled his neck and Orochimaru was suffering in silent tears. And that was when it hit Itachi like a brick.

Orochimaru would never be happy again.

He was good and broken now, and would probably accept Itachi's bridle with no questions, comments, or complaints. But was it truly Itachi's hold that would subdue Orochimaru? No. No, it would always be the threat of Kisame looming in the shadows, asking for far more than Orochimaru could ever give: self, sanity, beauty, love, innocence…but by now, all that was gone. Such fragile life hanging in such tender balance, upset so easily and then beaten down anyway. Itachi felt like he had been kicked in the stomach: was it shock, or those things people called emotions? What he had hidden away years ago? Itachi had no idea, but now, with Orochimaru withering in his arms, he learned an important lesson:

Innocence, once lost, can never be regained.

**A/N: Tad bit short, but I wanted to finish it for you guys. I was sick and had the flu, but once I was over it, I got to work on this for ya. :) Enjoy, and continue reviewing! Your motivation is awesome!**


	4. Chapter 4

Orochimaru was silent for days.

No matter what he tried, Itachi could not coax a sound out of the snake, not even by asking him what he wanted to eat. Orochimaru would simply shrug and move someplace else, taking what he was given and picking at it before eating, most likely as not to raise questions. Because not eating meant, "Are you okay?" and "What's wrong?" and other annoying questions Orochimaru would rather not even be asked, let alone answer. He would clean up after himself and then make himself scarce, usually finding a book and disappearing into a corner. Itachi would find him hours later curled up in a ball, book discarded and bookmark only moved two or three pages. He was often shivering and despondent, and Itachi had no idea why. Kisame had left on a month-long mission, giving him that much more time to rehabilitate Orochimaru.

And he got the feeling his efforts were failing miserably.

He knew Orochimaru wasn't hungry from the way he picked at his food before finally swallowing his pain and eating. He knew he wanted to be alone from the way he took his books and ran off for hours. He knew he wanted out from the way he sat by the window and stared out for hours, possibly at something Itachi couldn't see. He knew Orochimaru was suffering from the silent tears he found on the pale cheeks the next morning, sometimes even the sobs he awoke to late at night. He knew how badly Orochimaru was being tortured, just by existing for the next day to come at him-

And he did nothing.

Every single day, he appealed to Pein, searching for Orochimaru's release. And every day, he was turned down, often more coldly than the day before. Orochimaru would glance up hopefully when Itachi returned, only to be met with a shake of the head and then bombarded with emotions. Orochimaru was simply going through the motions now; he had nothing left to live for, and nothing was happening that seemed to be swaying things in either direction. They were in a stalemate with time: Pein refused to free Orochimaru from the chains of slavery, Orochimaru refused to free himself from the chains of depression, and Itachi refused to free himself from the chains of guilt Orochimaru had caused him to put on himself. Itachi had gradually removed all knives from the apartment, fearing for Orochimaru's safety and sanity. He had already taken the knives from him twice and smacked him-hard. It seemed to have no effect. Orochimaru just accepted him punishment and slunk off to a corner, staring out the window or searching for new ways to release his anguish. Itachi always felt guilty after that, but he knew that punishing Orochimaru might be the only thing that kept him from doing it again. Orochimaru stopped trying to cut after several weeks, and Itachi gradually allowed the knives to come back into the drawers in the apartment. Even so, he didn't trust Orochimaru alone with them, and always made sure to check the sannin's pale skin for marks whenever he got back from a mission.

He found bruises one day.

Orochimaru had flinched when he picked up the second wrist; his left. Itachi had checked hurriedly for red stripes; he found none. But upon uncurling his fingers from Orochimaru's wrist, he found dark purple splotches speckled across the surface of the paper-white skin. Itachi's eyes had jumped to Orochimaru's, searching for an explanation. Orochimaru recognized the anger there, but as he lifted his head, his hair fell off several bruises across his face. Itachi's anger seemed to worsen tenfold, and Orochimaru shrank back a bit. Itachi raised a hand-

Orochimaru shot backwards with a startled cry.

Itachi's anger gave way to shock, caving under the realization of Orochimaru's behavior. The sannin had been beaten. It was the only explanation. Itachi sighed and let go of Orochimaru's wrist, letting him go where he pleased. Oddly, Orochimaru stayed right where he was, not moving much except to squirm a bit in place. Itachi felt this deserved a curious glance and slowly approached Orochimaru. He could see the snake trembling beneath him; trembling, but he didn't seem afraid. Instead, he gazed eagerly into Itachi's eyes, almost asking him something…

Itachi suddenly realized what Orochimaru was asking him and crouched down several feet away. His knees hit the floor, and one hand came out to Orochimaru. His golden eyes flickered swiftly between the outstretched hand and Itachi's face, questioning, asking permission. Itachi nodded, and Orochimaru slowly inched towards him. He looked like he was ready to jump away at any second; he looked like he expected Itachi to suddenly grab him and hit him. Finally, he was close enough to touch Itachi, and he seemed more hesitant than ever. But still, he slowly picked one hand up, gingerly lifting it above Itachi's hand and suddenly snatching it away. Itachi remained still, gazing at Orochimaru in shock. Orochimaru finally put his hand down in Itachi's, settling with the touch of a feather. Itachi's hand closed softly over Orochimaru's, and he stood up, encouraging Orochimaru to do the same. He helped him up, then pulled him into his body and wrapped his arms around him. Orochimaru started at the sudden movement and tried to pull away; Itachi held firm, though, and he relaxed when he realized no one was out to hurt him. Itachi could feel him start to shake, though, and let go. He stepped back, only to be surprised when Orochimaru stepped forward with him. Clearly the sannin wanted to be near him, but was afraid of being punished unjustly. He did not make any move to touch Itachi; only to be close to him. His arms remained close to his body, his head was low, and he took small steps. Everything about Orochimaru seemed small at the moment, and Itachi was troubled by what he saw. He slowly wrapped his arms around Orochimaru, unsure of how to react.

"I'm sorry."

The first words Orochimaru had spoken n four days and it was an apology? Itachi knew immediately something was dreadfully wrong and drew Orochimaru closer, carefully running his hands over the sannin's body and searching for injury. All he came up with were a few bruises, but those few bruises screamed a horrifying story. "What are you sorry for?" Itachi whispered, looping one arm around Orochimaru's lower back and pulling him closer. His other hand rose to Orochimaru's hair and began gently stroking it, offering the snake comfort. Orochimaru reached for it like a hungry puppy, clinging to Itachi with every fiber of his being. And yet, his hands remained at Itachi's shoulders, fingers only curling into the Akatsuki cloak and not even seeking Itachi's shoulders themselves. Itachi sighed. Well, that was progress.

"Whatever Kisame decided I did wrong," Orochimaru whispered, crowding closer and moving his hands up to encircle Itachi's neck. "He-He was just here…he walked in and just started hitting me, telling me how stupid I was and how I wasn't worth anything to him, and he kept wondering why he put up with me…I had no idea what he was talking about, and I kept asking, but whenever I did, he just smacked me and told me if I didn't know, then I didn't deserve to be told."

"That sounds like a cop out if I ever heard one," Itachi said dryly. Orochimaru shrugged as best he could clinging to Itachi, his hold never relenting.

"So, just tell him I'm sorry for existing and that I know I upset him just by sitting in a corner doing nothing."

Itachi sighed and carefully peeled himself off Orochimaru. "Stay right here," he said, and stepped back. His voice was gentle, but Orochimaru could hear the commanding undertones in it. He nodded, and Itachi disappeared into his bedroom. He returned a minute later with a camera, and wordlessly picked up Orochimaru's hand. He let it rest on top of his own and took a picture, then turned it over and did the same thing. Orochimaru was quiet, and allowed him to work without question. But when Itachi pushed his hair aide and began taking pictures again, Orochimaru couldn't help but asking, "What are you doing this for?"

"I'm building a case," Itachi said through gritted teeth. Obviously he was upset, but Orochimaru could hardly believe it was because a low-level slave had been beaten. "He hardly had to hit you for this to come up, and look at how much is bruised. I'm saving this for later; he won't listen now. I hate to say it, but we might have to wait for it to get worse before anyone will listen. Slaves aren't exactly guests of honor here."

Orochimaru sighed. "You don't have to tell me." He obediently lifted his shirt for Itachi, revealing the two huge bruises on his sides. Itachi held one of his shoes in front of the bruises, just for comparison, then dumped it back on the floor and allowed Orochimaru to go. He went back into his room and put the camera away, but when he came back, Orochimaru was waiting in exactly the same spot for him. He gave the snake a curious glance as he went past, stopping a step past him. "You okay?" he asked. Orochimaru shrugged.

"I'm a little hungry…"

Itachi nodded and went into the fridge, pulling out some leftovers from a few nights ago. "Time for these to either go down or go rot. Pick one."

Orochimaru shrugged again. "I'll eat it. I haven't had anything in a while…Kisame-san insisted upon starving me."

Itachi sighed. "This has to stop," he said. "I might have the upper hand in this partnership, but on matters of you, Kisame has Pein behind him. I might be able to take on Kisame, because he's stupid, but Pein…Pein I may not be able to handle." Itachi snapped himself out of his reverie and reheated the leftovers: rice with vegetables and pork. Orochimaru seemed more than happy to clean out the fridge for Itachi and ate enthusiastically, but slowly. The slower one ate, the more their body digested, and Orochimaru was no stranger to the functions of the human body. Itachi waited in the next room for Orochimaru, settled on the couch with a book and reading. Orochimaru finished his food, put the dishes in the sink, and then walked into the sitting area and stood before Itachi, waiting for the Uchiha to notice him. Itachi noticed very quickly and glanced up. "What?" he asked, sitting up. Orochimaru's face flushed peach and he began searching for the right words.

"Um…well, I was…I was wondering…since you haven't been around…"

Itachi found himself unable to resist Orochimaru's unspoken request and reached out, looping one arm around the sannin's hips and pulling him down to the couch. "Of course," he whispered, putting the other arm around Orochimaru's shoulders and holding him close. Orochimaru's entire body shook with fear; did Itachi think he was asking for sex? Was he going to-?

Orochimaru's fears were laid to rest when Itachi placed a soft, chaste kiss on his lips and let the matter drop, turning onto his side and holding Orochimaru against his chest. "Don't be so indecisive," Itachi scolded gently, "I won't refuse you for something so simple."

Orochimaru still didn't seem to believe him, but gave up and settled in the curve of Itachi's neck. It was the perfect moment; for one fleeting, beautiful moment, they were no longer master and slave. It was partner and partner, curled up together on the couch, just enjoying the other's company and sharing the silence. They were no longer the abused and comforter; they were the pair of lovers who had never even witnessed pain between them. They were not even the budding couple; they were the full-bloomed rose, thorns put behind them and giving way to sweet red petals and relaxing aroma. This moment was perfect; absolutely perfect.

_None will wake for this morn_

_To see another black rose born_

_Deathbed is slowly covered with snow_

The door slammed open, and Kisame loomed in its rectangle.

Orochimaru sat up in a flash, gasping with shock and fear. Itachi sat up as well, albeit slower than Orochimaru, and put one arm around the sannin's shoulders. "Kisame," he greeted frostily, "What an unpleasant surprise."

"Well, well, well, Itachi, coddling a slave. Just what I'd expect, and yet I'm still disgusted." Kisame dropped Samehada next to the door, draping his cloak over its handle and kicking the door closed. "Well, you little piece of crap? You gonna make me come over there?"

Orochimaru was shaking violently now; Itachi stood up, and Orochimaru shot to his feet as well. Itachi, however, pushed the snake behind himself, glaring at Kisame. "Back off," he snarled. It didn't take a fool to see that he was peeved. His lips had peeled back off his teeth, his eyes had narrowed, and his nostrils were flaring with every breath. The Uchiha's chakra was building, and Orochimaru could tell, he was not playing around.

_Angels, they fell first but I'm still here_

_Alone as they are drawing near_

_In heaven, my masterpiece will finally be sung_

"You were the one who beat him?"

It was more statement than question, but Itachi needed to see Kisame's reaction to the question. A smirk spread across Kisame's face, and he swaggered up to Itachi. "Maybe," he said, his demeanor suddenly cocky. "And maybe I didn't."

"Don't you dare pull that crap with me," Itachi growled, stepping up to Kisame. "You hit him, you kicked him, you held him down and almost broke his wrist doing so. It was you, we all know it, and I'm not stupid."

"Ya know, Pein wanted you to see him when ya got back."

_Wounded is the deer that leaps the highest_

_And my wound, it cuts so deep_

_Turn off the light and let me pull the plug_

Itachi's face twisted into shock, and he whipped around to gaze at Orochimaru. The snake looked horrified, and obviously it was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. Even so, he shrugged at Itachi's unspoken question and remained where he was. Itachi finally sighed and motioned for Orochimaru to come closer. He glanced at Kisame, noting the shark-man's smirk.

"What did he want?"

"Collar, leash, and handcuffs."

"Screw that. Orochimaru, come."

Orochimaru obeyed silently, knowing Itachi would defend him if times came. He followed Itachi out of the apartment, heart pounding in his chest and breathing beginning to speed up. He knew of Pein's ruthlessness and his inability to listen to reason when it was shoved in his face; this was doubtless going to apply. If Pein had asked that he be restrained, Orochimaru knew it was going to happen. The sannin found himself preoccupied the entire way down; he hardly realized when they reached Pein's door, and he was sweating when Itachi raised a hand and knocked on the door. Pein answered relatively quickly; one look at Orochimaru had him scowling.

"Kisame neglected to tell you he needed to be restrained?"

Itachi glared. "Why? He's been behaving worse and he's still let off the chain."

"Because I said so!" Pein growled. He reached out, seized Orochimaru's hair, and dragged him inside the apartment. Orochimaru yelped with surprise as he was shoved to the ground and roughly kicked aside, but only curled into a ball at Pein's feet to avoid more abuse.

"Hey!" Itachi started forward, but Pein stepped firmly into his way.

"Leave him," he snarled. "I'll be back." One firm kick persuaded the snake up, and Orochimaru followed helplessly as Pein led him into the bedroom. The door slammed, and Itachi was left standing in the open doorway, shocked, stunned, and unable to move.

_This life, unforgiven:_

_it will end with his..._

OOOOOOOOOOO

Orochimaru was forced into the bedroom and then pushed to his knees, made to kneel with his back to the door as Pein moved about the room, gathering up items and tossing them onto the bed in the middle of the room. Orochimaru shrank back, trembling with apprehension as he recognized several of what Pein was throwing around.

"You, my little slave, are not getting off the hook so easily this time," Pein grunted, picking up one of the objects and approaching Orochimaru with it. "Now, if you're quiet and just accept this, I can promise it will be easier on all of us…" Orochimaru remained stock still as Pein fitted a leather collar around his neck, tightening it to fit to his neck and making sure it was tight. Orochimaru whimpered as Pein attached a leash, then dragged him over to the bedside and forced him to his knees again. Adrenaline was pumping high through Orochimaru's system by now; he was panting and shivering, heart ready to explode in its feverish beating. Pein picked up a pair of glistening metal handcuffs, clinking together as he moved towards Orochimaru with them. Orochimaru drew back, but Pein's foot came down hard on the end of the leash, halting any further movement.

"I thought I said to just calm down and accept it," Pein growled, smacking Orochimaru hard. The sannin fell to the ground with a startled cry, and was promptly kicked in the stomach for the noise. This time, only a tiny whimper slid through Orochimaru's lips, and Pein saw it was quiet enough. He chained Orochimaru's hands together in front of him, and then picked up the leash and dragged him back out to Itachi.

"This is how I want him every time I see him," the leader of the Akatsuki said firmly. "I want him restrained. And for his own good. He doesn't need temptation."

"Funny how he's been fine until you touched him," Itachi said sarcastically. "Just leave him alone, he doesn't need this."

Pein smirked. "He does if you want to keep him with you."

Itachi froze. His muscles were quivering like a strung bow, and his jaw suddenly locked in fury. "You wouldn't _dare!"_ he screamed, rising up to his full height over Pein. The leader of the Akatsuki's smirk grew larger, and he threw Orochimaru down in front of him, noting the pained yelp as he did so.

"Oh, I would," he said, still grinning. "He's so gorgeous…don't be surprised if I try to steal him from you, Itachi, and don't be surprised if anyone else does either. He's the embodiment of perfection; except for his attitude problem. We'll have to fix that, ne?"

Orochimaru shivered and back away from Pein as far as the leash would allow. He wanted no part of this at all; none whatsoever. But apparently Pein was going to drag him into it, and there was nothing he could do.

"Calm down, Itachi," Pein continued, reaching down to caress Orochimaru's soft, silky hair. "He's just a slave."

That seemed to do it for Itachi. He flew off the handle, lashing out viciously at Pein and catching him in the lower jaw. Pein's head flew back with an audible snap, and he fell to the ground in a heap of red and black. Itachi swiped a kunai across the side of the leather collar, cutting it free from Orochimaru's neck and seizing him by the handcuffs. "Come on!" he said, dragging Orochimaru up after him. Orochimaru bolted, following Itachi with no complaints. Itachi ran ahead of Orochimaru halfway to their room, then slowed to a jog, then stopped two-thirds of the way there. He turned around and took Orochimaru's hands in his own, supporting them with one hand and running his fingers over the pair of handcuffs with the other. It seemed he was searching for a weak point in the metal. Finally, he found it, and Itachi used both hands underneath the metal bands to break them apart in the weak joint. He repeated this on the other side, then left the chains behind and took Orochimaru back to the apartment. Kisame was eating leftover sushi in the kitchen when they walked in, Orochimaru breathless and Itachi enraged.

"So…what happened?"

Itachi's hand flashed out catching Kisame's throat in his hand and squeezing with all his might. "Nothing, you dumbass shark," Itachi growled through gritted teeth. "Absolutely nothing."

_End of all; end of time..._

_the rest is silence._

**A/N: Itachi gets mad. Review if you think it's funny, or even if you don't. Just tell me-I love hearing your opinions, although I was rather disappointed with the last round. Let's keep up the good work I got for the first two chapters, 'kay? Song is End of All Hope by Nightwish.**


	5. Chapter 5

Orochimaru's silence worsened over the next few days.

Ever since Pein had threatened Itachi to take Orochimaru away, the snake had fallen into withdrawal. He didn't want to do anything to give Pein the slightest excuse to take him away from Itachi. Itachi felt guilty about forcing Orochimaru into such depression, and often tried to bribe him into coming out of his shell a bit with food. Orochimaru refused the bait, which often came in the form of fresh fruit or tender meat. Orochimaru was too sick with worry to even touch little more than his daily meal: he knew Pein wouldn't take being punched in the jaw very well. And once the swelling went down enough that Pein could stick his pretty face outside the door again, Orochimaru knew he and Itachi would be the first to know of his recovery.

It came six days later.

Pein greeted them one morning with a loud, incredible banging on the door. Itachi groaned and turned over, pulling his blanket over his head and burying his face in the pillow. "Whaddya want?" he grumbled, voice slightly slurred with sleep. Pein just screamed at them to, "Open the door!!" and kept at it. Itachi groaned and turned over again, sheets slipping down to his waist. "Could you get that?" he mumbled, slowly sitting up. "I need to find something besides boxers to put on…"

Orochimaru nodded absently, knowing that was exactly what Pein wanted. But he didn't question Itachi, figuring he was screwed anyway. He slept in loose sweatpants and a tee shirt, anyway. Orochimaru slowly got up, tossing the covers off and sitting up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, glancing at the clock. Five thirty. "Pein-sama, are you serious?" he mumbled, standing up slowly. He walked around Itachi's bed just as the Uchiha was sitting up, unbound hair tumbling over his shoulders-

Unbound? Itachi had his hair out? Orochimaru just had to pause and gape, noticing that, even tangled with sleep, Itachi still had beautiful hair. Orochimaru shook himself and exited the bedroom just as Itachi was standing up, revealing a pair of boxers-and nothing else. He walked over to the closet and dug out a thin, silk kimono just as Orochimaru exited and walked to the front door.

Pein almost punched him out when he opened it.

Orochimaru started and leapt back and Pein simply kept going, demanding Itachi's location. Orochimaru hesitantly pointed him to the bedroom just as Itachi emerged, tying the kimono's sash around his waist. "Alright, what's going on?" he muttered, closing the kimono over his chest. "What are you even doing up this goddamn early?"

"I came to ask you just what you thought you could accomplish by punching me in the face!"

"At five thirty in the morning?"

"Yes. I find it easier to get answers from people when they're groggy and half their mind is on sleep."

Itachi shrugged. "Orochimaru, go keep my bed warm. Go back to sleep. I'll be in shortly." Itachi yawned and glared at Pein, waiting for Orochimaru to skitter into the next room before he went into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Have a seat," he said, rubbing one hand over the side of his face. I get the feeling this is gonna be a long one."

"Stand up, Uchiha," Pein growled. He sounded beyond pissed. "I won't have you falling asleep on me."

Itachi lifted his head from the table, out from between his forearms. "What?"

Pein looked furious at this point. His face was quickly reddening, and Itachi could swear he saw a vein in Pein's neck pulsing viciously. "You damned Uchiha!" he screamed, finally erupting in fury. "You can just sit there and sleep, and I'm trying to discipline you! You are a child! A selfish, ungrateful, insolent, child!"

Itachi had only a blank stare on his face. "Yeah, whatever. I see your lips moving, but all I hear is, 'blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…' and then I hit the table, and it all just blurs, ya know?"

Pein seemed to have had it at that point. One hand flashed out, threatening to plow right through Itachi's face if it landed. Itachi leaned to the side, easily avoiding the blow, then ducked under the table and was never seen again. Pein realized Itachi was using Doton to hide from him and jumped up on the table. "You can't hide forever…" Well, forever was five minutes in Pein's book, because he soon got bored and went to investigate. Itachi had probably popped up in his own room and was laughing at him right now…Pein sighed and jumped down off the table, walking over to Itachi's room and opening the door.

He was met with a gasp and a flash of white.

Orochimaru retreated very quickly from his sudden appearance, appearing again on the opposite side of the room in a matter of milliseconds. He pressed himself into a corner, trying not to be noticed as Pein's gaze swept across the room. No Itachi. Where was that damn weasel?! Well, Pein had just the way to find out. He paced across the room to the horrified Orochimaru, seized his trembling wrist, and dragged him out in the kitchen. "Itachi, better surrender yourself now if you want to save him!" he called. "Because you have until I count to ten to come out before I take him with me. One…two…_nine…!"_

Orochimaru's heart beat faster with every count. Where was Itachi?! Pein wasn't being fair, just randomly skipping numbers. Well, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. It was Pein, after all. Finally, the multi-pierced man gave a small "Humph!" of annoyance, turned on his heel, and walked away. "Come," he said roughly, clearly speaking to Orochimaru. The snake gave one last defeated glance around, searching for Itachi before giving up and walking dejectedly over to Pein's side. He was numb to everything all of a sudden: why had Itachi abandoned him? He thought the Uchiha wanted him to be safe…he thought Itachi wanted him to have a better life. He thought Itachi wanted him to be free…Orochimaru could feel droplets of water rolling down his cheeks, and angrily swiped at them. Was he so nervous he was sweating? That seemed like the logical answer. Still, his eyes seemed to blur and itch with the wetness…was it possible-?

"Aw, so heartbroken you have to cry it out," Pein mocked. "Get over it!" he screamed. Orochimaru shrank back, only to hit the wall and be stopped from retreating any further. "He doesn't love you! He never has! Itachi has always hated you, and has only built you up so he could let you down! And you played right into it. Stupid, insolent little fool! Have you no sense? Stupid!" Pein lashed out, striking Orochimaru hard in the face. Orochimaru took the blow with little more than a small, broken sob, sliding back down the wall and curling up into a ball to protect himself. He hardly felt the thick leather being secured around his neck. He didn't even feel the cold metal encircling his wrists. And he certainly didn't feel the pressure of the leash, demanding him to move forward. Orochimaru only moved when he was forced to, falling forward on his knees and refusing to move. If Itachi couldn't have him, no one could! Still, his desperate pleas and yanks against the leash fell on numb hands and deaf ears. Pein continued bullying him into movement, dragging him out into the hallway before Orochimaru finally gave up, stood up, and walked quietly. Pein seemed not to even notice the sudden change in Orochimaru's demeanor-he just dragged him down, all the way down, past countless doors and through many hallways. Finally, Pein arrived in the dungeons, and threw Orochimaru into some random cell. "You'll stay there until I can come and get you," he growled, kicking Orochimaru in the ribs. The snake tumbled to the opposite wall, ignoring everything but the thoughts of the one person who could save him now: an Uchiha with long, dark hair and porcelain skin, who without the Sharingan was a creature totally in black and white. A man slightly younger than this current body and still the youngest of the Akatsuki-

The door slammed, and thus slammed shut on each and every one of Orochimaru's hopes.

OOOOOOOOO

"Look at him, the poor thing."

"He's so quiet."

"Does he even know what's going on?"

"Well, if he doesn't, he probably doesn't want to."

"Shame on you! Talking about him like he's a dumb animal! And right in front of him! Move it all of you, I have authority here-move, Kakuza, dammit!"

Orochimaru barely glanced up, knowing strait away who had come for him. As the lock turned in the door, a female voice grew closer and closer, and Orochimaru knew of only female in Akatsuki: Konan, Pein's partner. He hadn't seen her around lately, as a matter of fact: it seemed she had disappeared since he had last seen anything of Akatsuki. Orochimaru had figured she was on a mission, but a month and a half and he had started to wonder. Well, it seemed she was back, and with sympathy to spare.

"Are you alright? Orochimaru-Orochimaru, look at me."

Konan waited for Orochimaru to turn his head to her, glassy eyes staring in her general direction before continuing: "Look, I'm getting you out of here. Can you walk?"

Orochimaru shrugged despondently, and Konan sighed. "Come on, Pein went out. Something about Otonin-"

Orochimaru's attention suddenly seemed caught like a fish in a cage. "Otonin?" he whispered. "H-How many?"

"Thousands," Konan snorted. "It took 'em all a month o so to organize themselves, but they're for real this time. They want you back, and they want you back bad."

Orochimaru glanced eagerly at Konan, begging her without words to release him. The kunoichi did so without any words of her own, and Orochimaru forced himself to his feet. He spared Konan a questioning look as he did so; did he have permission to go out and meet them?

Konan nodded. "Go on. I'll come with you, just in case anyone gives you trouble." Orochimaru nodded his thanks and broke from the clutches of Akatsuki, flying out of the dungeons at record speeds. He knew that if Otonin were there, Kabuto would be at their head. He had taken over after Orochimaru had been taken prisoner, and Orochimaru knew he could trust Kabuto. Konan was right behind him, and seemed to have grown paper wings. Orochimaru shrugged it off as part of her strange, but interesting talent to spread her body into miniature sheets of paper: she had probably just taken off her legs and made them wings, hiding them under the Akatsuki cloak. This seemed to be the case, as Konan's wings disappeared when she set down to unlock a door in front of Orochimaru. The snake could hear the pandemonium outside, right on the other side, and possibly his beloved Kabuto waiting for him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Konan asked, one hand lingering on the doorknob. "It will only cause you pain-"

"Pain I am willing to feel, because it means I'll see him again," Orochimaru whispered. "Please, if only for a minute, I want to see him again!"

Konan sighed and turned the knob. "If it means that much to you." She pushed open the door with some difficulty, just as it was yanked open from the other side.

Kabuto stood before them, panting and out of breath, clothes and skin stained by blood and soaked with sweat. His hair was falling loose from his normal ponytail, but he still seemed not to notice, or care. Orochimaru froze, realizing that Kabuto had locked onto his chakra and found him. Kabuto, in turn, remained still, not wanting to make a false move around Orochimaru and scare him.

He didn't have to.

Orochimaru threw his arms around Kabuto's neck, falling into his open embrace and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. Hot tears of pain and joy raced down Orochimaru's face, and the two seemed not to notice as time crashed to a halt. Orochimaru let go of a single, choked sob before Kabuto pulled him into another, passionate kiss, one long breath between the two kisses and nothing more. Konan smiled and softly closed the door, leaving the two to their own private moments. Orochimaru finally regained the strength to remove his lips from kabuto's, but only long enough to gasp out, "Oh, my God, I thought I would never see you again!!"

Kabuto shook his head, holding Orochimaru's head to his shoulder and kissing his ebony hair, stroking it down with one hand and wrapping the other around Orochimaru's shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, kissing Orochimaru's bruised, bloodied cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you-"

"Don't be…"

Orochimaru ignored the rest of the world, instead focusing only on Kabuto's sweet, sweet, kiss. Kabuto wasn't sure if time was even present anymore; everything seemed to melt away, leaving only the hot, bitter-sweet emotions that crashed through his body at an alarming pace. Orochimaru had no sense of time and feeling anymore; there was only his love, finally in his arms again.

"What could destroy this love except for one person," Orochimaru whispered, leaning closer to Kabuto. "And even then, it wouldn't be so bad…because I saw you again."

Kabuto smiled and continued to run his hand through Orochimaru's hair. "The only thing that would suck more than me having to leave you…would be having to leave you and never being able to come back."

Orochimaru smiled and clung to Kabuto. "Well, hopefully, that won't happen," he said softly. "Kabuto, I…I can't even ask you what's happened at Oto…"

"I took care of everything," Kabuto reassured him. "I have completely taken over since Sasuke left. I was simply biding my time until he did so. And now that he's gone, I have full control, and he will be my subordinate when he returns." Kabuto kissed Orochimaru's hair again in a soothing gesture. "You should trust me a bit more."

"Well, I trust you to leave before I kill you!"

Kabuto whipped around, and Orochimaru jumped away from him in shock. He needed room to defend them both-

A harsh strike was all Orochimaru felt, and then he heard Kabuto's scream. The pain in the back of his neck registered just as the world faded to black.

OOOOOOOOOO

Orochimaru woke up to cold.

It was a familiar feeling by now, the chains holding his arms above his head and the chains looped around his ankles and neck. His golden eyes slowly opened, taking in the world around him. The same cold, dank cell as before: rotted light hanging from the ceiling, thick wooden door with a sorry excuse for a window, short chains holding him down. Orochimaru let out a small whimper and squirmed a bit. He wanted out, and he wanted out now!

"Orochimaru-sama!"

"Kabuto?!"

Orochimaru suddenly seemed wide awake, and he stared at the boy sitting across from him, chained to the opposite wall. His long, silver hair had been unbound, and was falling freely across his shoulders. His sash was gone, and with it his kunai pouch. His gloves also were gone, but he seemed not to care. Kabuto leaned forward, staring at Orochimaru. "God, it is you…Orochimaru-sama, I'm so sorry-"

"Keep apologizing," Orochimaru said softly. "Maybe one day you'll do something that you actually need to apologize for and you'll be in the habit already so it won't matter."

Kabuto sighed. "Well, at least we're together," he murmured. "It's probably just to torture us, so when they take us apart it'll hurt more, but hey, enjoy the time we have, right?"

"How unusually optimistic of you," Orochimaru said softly. "So tell me, what have you been doing to change your personality so?"

Kabuto smirked. "Running into you."

"No one's running anywhere."

Orochimaru hadn't heard the door open, but when it did, he was almost afraid to breathe. Pein stood where the solid wood used to be, and his spiraled eyes were locked on Orochimaru.

"Because if you do run, I will personally torture you until the ends of time come to an end!"

"Where's Itachi?" Orochimaru asked. He didn't particularly care much at this point, he was just curious as to where the Uchiha had ended up. At the sound of Itachi's name, a huge grin came over Pein's face.

"So glad you asked."

The piercings melted away, and spirals gave way to a single ring with three commas along the outside. Orange spikes gave way to smooth black tied into a ponytail, and height slowly went down an inch or two. A ring changed fingers, from the first to the ring, and lines appeared under otherwise-youthful eyes.

"Missed you, Orochimaru. And glad to finally have you back."

**A/N: Bleh…that was crap. Well, hope you enjoyed it, and hope the next one is better.**


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm sorry I had to leave you," Itachi murmured, crossing the cell to Orochimaru. He knelt down in front of him and slowly unlocked the chain around his neck. "I wanted to make sure Kabuto could get to you. I was planning on going down another path, but seeing the two of you made me change my mind." Itachi shrugged. "Anyway, I've taken care of Pein for the time being, so don't worry about him. I can keep Orochimaru with me and let Kabuto go, or I can keep Kabuto and let Orochimaru go. Pein only allowed me to release one of you."

Orochimaru shivered and exhaled a slow, shaky breath. "Let Kabuto go," he whispered. "At least I know he'll be safe-"

"Orochimaru-sama, are you crazy?!" Kabuto gasped. "They'll just treat you worse than before! They've already tried to rape you, and they beat you horrendously! You can't honestly tell me you want to go back to that-!"

"I don't want to, but I want you to even less!" Orochimaru cried. "I couldn't live with myself if I knew I was safe and you weren't! Kabuto, please, just go. I'm already used to this; it won't be as painful. And besides, Itachi treats me right-I don't know what will change with you."

Kabuto took a deep breath. "Orochimaru-sama, I…I can't leave you…I couldn't live with myself either…I…" Kabuto shook his head angrily. "No! This can't be it! There has to be another way!" He turned desperately to Itachi. "Is there anything else we can do? Any way to either keep both of us or let us both go?"

Itachi shook his head. "The only way you could be together is if Kisame took one of you as a slave, since we share a room. But I doubt he'd allow you to see each other, and I doubt he would let me keep you while he's on missions. The only other option is if Kabuto stays as a prisoner, and he stays down here. And even then, there's the possibility that someone will want him as a slave, and they have perfect rights to take him. Of course, the one who captured him has the final say, but anyone else is perfectly free to take him within those boundaries."

Kabuto sighed and let his head fall back to the wall, defeated. There was simply no way to be with Orochimaru. None at all. They just couldn't win. He would simply have to give in to Orochimaru and ask to be released. Then, at least he could bring back more ninja and try to rescue Orochimaru again.

"Please, Kabuto, just go," Orochimaru pleaded. Itachi pulled the chains away from Orochimaru's slender wrists, letting his arms fall to his sides. "Don't fight me on this one…just go."

Kabuto sighed again and lifted his head from the wall. "Just understand…" he started, "That this is the hardest thing I have ever had to do."

Itachi finally unlocked the chains around Orochimaru's ankles and let him stand up. "Could I just have a minute?" he asked. "To…to say goodbye."

Itachi nodded and freed Kabuto, stepping back and making up his mind. Finally, he turned around and walked out of the cell, closing the door behind himself and locking it. He checked the time on the clock at the end of the hall. He noted what time he had left, and made sure to check frequently for the passage of time. He had decided to allow the two five minutes; after that, he would come in and separate them. Itachi knocked quietly on the door and warned them after four minutes had passed, and then again when five minutes was up. He would never know what passed between them as they said their goodbyes. He would never ask Orochimaru, or Kabuto, when he saw them again. He would never even try to imagine what had gone on in those five minutes he had given them alone. And he would never have the courage to ask.

The tears on Orochimaru's face told enough of the story.

As Itachi escorted Kabuto to the entrance of Akatsuki and let him go, he could hardly think straight. Kabuto's face looked like stone. He was completely unreadable, and he seemed not to care about anything that was going on around him. As Itachi opened the door to the Akatsuki lair, he noticed one, shining tear running down Kabuto's cheek.

"I always hated rules," he whispered, staring up at the sky. "That's why I'm breaking Shinobi Rule Twenty-five." He turned back to Itachi, and his face was suddenly like the face of a sad angel. "Please, treat him right."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving Itachi with nothing more than an astonished expression on his face, and a knife of pain in his heart.

OOOOOOOOO

When Itachi returned, Orochimaru hardly glanced up. He was curled up in a corner, legs drawn in to his body and arms wrapped around them. His face was half-hidden, buried in his knees, and black hair cascaded down over his shoulders and back. Itachi wasn't sure what to do; clearly Orochimaru was depressed, but Itachi had no idea how to get him out of it now. "Orochimaru," he murmured, kneeling down in front of the snake. "I know it's hard, but I'll do everything I can to make sure you're together again-"

"That's a lie."

Itachi was taken aback by Orochimaru's harsh words, but tried not to show it. "Come on," he prodded. "You know I love you…you know I care about you. Come on; let's go back to my room. Hungry?"

"No."

Itachi sighed. Well, at least his spirit was intact enough for him to be stubborn and willful. "Your favorite food is takoyaki, right? Would you eat that?"

Orochimaru had to admit he was tempted by the offer, but only offered an ambiguous shrug. Itachi sighed and stood up. "Come on; I have some in the fridge from yesterday. I didn't eat it all, and I'm not sure I want the rest. Wouldn't want it to go to waste, would you? I made sure to put in some extra tempura…"

Orochimaru finally gave in. He slowly stood up and allowed Itachi to take him back to the apartment he and Kisame shared. Orochimaru's mind was swirling the entire way: what if Kabuto didn't make it back? What if he couldn't complete the mission Orochimaru had given him? What if he was injured? What if someone else caught him? He was going back alone; that was always risky. Orochimaru hardly noticed as they entered the apartment, but the silence brought his attention forcibly back to the present. Orochimaru was ecstatic to discover that the apartment was empty, save for him and Itachi. Kisame wasn't there, and no one was waiting for them. Itachi locked the door behind them, setting the deadbolt, knob lock, chain, and bar. He motioned for Orochimaru to follow him into the kitchen, then to wait by the sink. Orochimaru stood silently, not asking questions or voicing worries. Itachi handed him a container half-full with takoyaki and a pair of chopsticks. Orochimaru picked at the food for a minute, then took a small bite. He picked at the dumplings a bit more, and slowly, one bite turned to two, and then three, and finally, Orochimaru was eating normally. Itachi got his own food out: a cup of instant ramen. "I do not feel like cooking," he muttered, pouring in hot water. "So this and probably some leftover vegetables is my dinner."

Orochimaru started. Was it really dinner time? A quick glance at the clock told him so: it was six twenty-four. He shrugged and continued eating. Wow, Itachi really knew what he liked. The only thing that could beat this was maybe ikayaki…Orochimaru was by no means a water snake, but it didn't stop him from enjoying the squid. But then again, some of the cooks in Otoga had the best taiyaki…the littl fish-shaped snacks could tempt him on even the worst of days, and even bring his mood up a bit. But only the poor chef in the end stand made it the best. Orochimaru stopped by every day, often tipping the man enough to ensure his day's meal, both for himself and his family. But he only did it for the one man: he would hate to have him go out of business for lack of funds. Orochimaru suddenly realized how hungry-and homesick-he was. He hadn't eaten in days.

"Enjoying that?"

Orochimaru nodded in response to Itachi's question, swallowed, then confirmed: "Yes. How did you know how I like this, anyway?"

Itachi smirked. "I asked you some twenty years ago. I think I wrote it down because I liked it so much, too…either way, for some odd reason, I always remembered that you liked it exactly like that." Itachi peeled the cover off his ramen, poked it several times with his chopsticks, and then stirred it around a bit. Deeming it acceptably cooked, the Uchiha wound a bit around his chopsticks and took a bite. It was still boiling hot, but Itachi didn't seem to care. He ate as if there was nothing wrong with the ramen, and gave Orochimaru a curious glance when he noticed the sannin staring. Orochimaru shook his head and returned to his food. Itachi shrugged and continued eating as well. Ask questions later; like two years from now, when Orochimaru was ten percent recovered.

"What?"

Orochimaru was staring at him with a curious look on his face. Itachi glanced at Orochimaru, then shrugged. "I guess something I missed," he said, tossing his ramen cup into the trash can. He put his chopsticks in the sink, and left it at that. "If you want to come with, I'm going to the library in a few minutes," he offered lightly. "If you want to get a new book or something-"

"Of course!"

Itachi smiled. Orochimaru could usually be perked up by offerings of books and fish. He seemed to enjoy any food that included some kind of sea life, and any book-period. Itachi always went for the food first, given that it was necessary for Orochimaru to survive, and then give him a book for distraction. Orochimaru set the empty dish and chopsticks in the sink, and Itachi handed him a glass of water. Orochimaru downed it quickly, and Itachi handed him a bottle of orange juice.

"Don't tell."

Orochimaru smiled and thanked Itachi for the rare treat, and drank the orange juice slowly. He wanted to savor this for a while. Itachi seemed to realize this and left to gather up all the books he had to return to the library. He had borrowed several scrolls for research on jutsu-which he refused to share with Orochimaru, despite the snake's nagging. Orochimaru finally gave up and retreated to a quiet corner with his latest novel, trying to pass the time until Kisame came storming through the door. It grew to be routine after a while.

"Ready to go?"

Orochimaru nodded and set the empty plastic bottle in the sink, then took his stack of books from Itachi. Itachi opened the door and stepped out, waiting for Orochimaru before closing it and locking it with a small key.

"Where are you taking him?"

"Library," Itachi replied easily. Kisame didn't seem satisfied with the answer and glared at Orochimaru.

"He shouldn't be allowed to go anywhere, let alone off the chain," he muttered, dumping Samehada next to the door to dig out his key. "And besides, I have stuff for him to do."

"Yes…too bad he's not yours to command."

Kisame seemed appalled at Itachi's cold retort and could only stand and stare for a moment. "Well, then," he said frostily, and opened the door. It slammed shut behind him, and Orochimaru released a sigh of relief. "Come," Itachi said softly, motioning Orochimaru after him. The snake gladly followed, happy to have missed Kisame with no wasted time. He got several new books from the library, and Itachi even allowed him to sneak two jutsu scrolls out in his pile. Orochimaru was in a relatively good mood when he got back to the apartment, and was even speaking to Itachi rather confidently. He was holding a conversation on the effectiveness of fire jutsu when used against wind opponents when they entered the apartment, and his words even carried into the kitchen.

After that, it all stopped cold.

Kisame towered over Orochimaru, glaring down at the sannin and looking rather peeved. Orochimaru immediately retreated into his quiet, reserved shell, and Kisame lashed out viciously.

"Damn bitch!" he screamed, smacking Orochimaru. Orochimaru fell to the ground, clutching his books to his chest. The last thing he wanted was to lose them. The books he had were his only reprieve from Kisame's abusiveness, and to lose that meant loss of sanity for Orochimaru. Kisame kicked him in the ribs, resulting in a pained yelp. "So, what possessed you that you thought it was alright to eat the last cup of ramen?! Especially when I told you not to!"

"I ate it, and you never told me, so back off!" Itachi said defensively. He stepped in front of Orochimaru, shielding him with his own presence. "Leave him alone!"

Kisame's lips lifted in a sneer. "What defending him now? I should expect it at this rate, but you still manage to shock me with this. Move it; it's not your place to defend a slave!"

"Oh, now you're ordering me around? I don't think so!" Itachi wasn't about to take something like that lying down. "Kisame, I think you need a handle on yourself before you go trying to get a handle on anyone else!" Itachi was getting angry: Orochimaru was his, and it was no one else's place to strike him!

"He's a slave, Itachi! He's supposed to be punished when he does something wrong!"

"Not when he hasn't done anything! Kisame, you have no right to even go near him; he's mine!"

"Ooooooooo, now we're getting possessive, are we?" The mocking tone was evident in Kisame's voice. "Get outta here-stupid kid."

Kisame shoved Itachi to the side and grabbed Orochimaru's wrist, forcing him to drop the books he was holding and fall to his knee sat Kisame's feet. Orochimaru gasped in horror and recoiled-this wasn't how it was going to end, was it? He was going to get it so bad, right here, right now, he just knew it. His heart sped up, pumping blood through his system so fast he could feel his veins throbbing with the pressure. Lungs heaved in and out, trying to supply Orochimaru's body with enough oxygen to survive. Orochimaru's entire body trembled with the strain and the pressure-as the first strike came, Orochimaru knew it would be the first of many. He braced himself for the next blow, trying to twist away in pain and panic.

Kisame suddenly fell over next to him.

Itachi stood over the shark, looking irritated. "Come here, Orochimaru," he said stonily, kicking Kisame's body aside. "Get your books."

Orochimaru quietly obeyed, moving swiftly to Itachi's side and trying not to look back. Itachi took him into his bedroom and let him lie down on the bed, telling him to simply sleep it off. Orochimaru sat up and reached over for one of is books from Itachi's arms. He gently tugged the first from Itachi's armful, but as he pulled it back, his hand brushed against Itachi's.

He blushed.

Orochimaru actually blushed.

He averted his eyes and scooted back, looking quite embarrassed. He quickly glanced back at Itachi, just to see if he was pissed, but found that he was looking the exact opposite. Unlike Orochimaru, Itachi was looking rather amused at the situation and its outcome. He decided not to say anything; words would ruin the moment. Finally, Orochimaru was starting to get attached to him! This had been what Itachi was shooting for from the beginning.

_If someone said three years from now,_

_You'd be long gone_

_I'd stand up and punch them out_

'_cuz they're all wrong_

Itachi slowly leaned forward, reaching out to Orochimaru. The sannin was kneeling on the bed, legs spread for balance. His arms were wrapped around his precious book again, and his head was down. His eyes kept flickering back and forth between Itachi and the bed sheet, clearly still chagrined about the touch that Itachi seemed to enjoy so much.

_That last kiss_

_I'll cherish_

_Until we meet again_

_Time makes it harder_

Itachi's hand pressed to the side of Orochimaru's face, and then his lips met Orochimaru's own.

_I wish I could remember_

_But I keep your memory_

_You visit me in my sleep_

_My darling; who knew?_

Orochimaru was shocked at first: Itachi knew he already loved Kabuto! He wasn't about to betray his lover for…for…well, maybe Itachi wasn't so bad…but Kabuto was Orochimaru's lover, and that wasn't changing any time soon! But Itachi had treated him so well, stood up for him, risked his life for Orochimaru…and he was such a damn good kisser…

Orochimaru found himself testing the waters, albeit tentatively. He leaned forward, setting his book aside and leaning on his hands. His legs shifted out from underneath him, bent and off to his left side. Orochimaru felt Itachi gently pulling him closer, and obliged with little resistance. One of Itachi's hands slipped around Orochimaru's neck, supporting his head from behind. The other hand snuck around his waist, fitting into the small of Orochimaru's back. Orochimaru wasn't even sure what he was supposed to feel: all there was to feel was Itachi and the kiss. That beautiful, sweet, chaste kiss…

When Itachi finally pulled away, Orochimaru was still in shock.

"No!" he suddenly cried. "I-I shouldn't have done that, I-Itachi-sama, I'm so sorry, but I-I just can't…"

Itachi sighed. "No, it's my fault…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have; not when you and Kabuto were already in a relationship. I won't do it again."

Orochimaru shuddered and looked down. "Torn" was the only thing that truly described him now. He wanted to continue on with Kabuto, but Itachi was so…perfect…Orochimaru shook his head. What was Itachi doing to him? What game was he playing? Did he know how much pain he was causing Orochimaru? Why was he doing this-torturing him so? It was tempting to go with Itachi, but Orochimaru loved Kabuto as well…

"I miss you," Orochimaru whispered to himself, tracing a tiny, tiny tattoo on his hip. Only one person knew about it, and that was the person who had done it. And that person's name was etched forever into Orochimaru's left hip. "Kabuto…"

**A/N: Sexy little tattoo. Jordan Sparks, anyone? And the song in the italics is Who Knew by P!nk. Now, you're lucky I'm so nice and updated this for you, because only InvisibleCrimsonTenshi reviewed. I love you!! She gets a free dedication one-shot, for being a loyal reviewer for not only this story, but several others. Chocolate and ice cream, my love!! : )**


	7. Chapter 7

Orochimaru was alone in the apartment.

It was such a beautiful, quiet atmosphere: he felt like he could finally breathe again. Orochimaru's shaking hands traveled furiously over the page, though, a bitter reminder that there wasn't much time. Orochimaru finished the two-page, front-and-back letter, and rolled it up tightly, as small as he could. He tied it with a string and made sure that was tight around the letter, and then moved to the window. He summoned a small bird; a swallow he only used for secret messages. He slid the tiny paper into the pouch underneath the bird's wing, attached to a subtle harness across its chest dyed the color of its pale brown feathers. Orochimaru took the bird into his hands, leaned out the window, and threw the bird into the air, opening his hands and helping it take off. The bird took off immediately, and Orochimaru was left alone again. He sighed wistfully and settled down on the couch, a rare treat. He had already eaten what he knew no one would notice missing, and also an apple from the basket. He had made sure to give the core to one of the animals outside, so no one would find it in the trash and get suspicious-like Kisame. It was the shark-man's duty to take out the trash, and he also used the opportunity to monitor Orochimaru's food intake. Paranoid much?

Orochimaru pulled a blanket over his body, curling up on the couch with a science fiction novel. Orochimaru liked to figure out ways he could make some of the things in the science fiction real, and had even done so several times. He settled down and opened the book, dark golden eyes drinking in every word. Orochimaru enjoyed these rare moments of peace-hopefully, Itachi would get home before Kisame. The two had both left on a joint mission, and it would take them a week to complete. It was the last day, and the two should be home any time now. It all rode on whose turn it was to deliver the mission report-

Apparently, it was Itachi's.

Kisame slammed the door so hard, Orochimaru felt the apartment shake. He started and almost dropped the book, only managing to catch it in time to fold back a corner of the page and close it. Orochimaru took the book and the blanket and fled into Itachi's room. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. One of Kisame's hands fastened over a large portion of Orochimaru's hair, stopping him short with a startled yelp. Kisame pulled Orochimaru backwards until he stumbled and fell to the floor, then kicked him firmly in the ribs.

"Get!" he screamed. "I'll deal with you later! Now go on, get!" Another kick persuaded Orochimaru to run, and he flew into Itachi's room, gasping with fear and trying desperately to keep his emotions in check. He closed the door to Itachi's room and locked it, then began slowly backing away without turning around. His breathing began to slow down a bit; Orochimaru felt slightly safer in here. Even if Kisame could-and would-break down the door, he had a delay and a warning. Orochimaru took another step back-

"Going somewhere?"

Orochimaru almost fainted with shock. Kisame stood behind him, hands on his hips, glaring down at Orochimaru with unbridled fury in his eyes. "Water clone," he growled. "But, lucky for you, I'm the real thing." A huge grin came over Kisame's face, and he took a step toward Orochimaru. The snake backed away, the fear evident in his eyes. 

One of Kisame's hands abruptly lashed out, and Orochimaru instinctively raised a hand to protect himself. Kisame's hand, however, fastened around his wrist, having anticipated the move, and the shark-man dragged the snake over to him, forcing him to kneel at his feet. "Cry all you want," he snarled, "But you're going to someone who won't chicken out as far as punishing you goes. Lucky for you, I'm a merciful guy. But…Kakuza and Hidan aren't so nice."

Orochimaru shook his head, trying desperately to back away. "No," he whispered. "No…no, please!"

"Too late for that, little bitch," Kisame said roughly. He dragged a pleading, protesting Orochimaru over to where he had stashed a collar, and he promptly looped it around Orochimaru's slender neck and pulled it tight. He attached a leash, and dragged Orochimaru out of the room. Orochimaru, however, wasn't going down without a fight. Screaming as he was dragged, and fighting viciously, Orochimaru decided he was having none of this. All his efforts earned him were a harsh punch, a brutal kick, and a gag. Kisame, apparently, was having none of this, either. Orochimaru finally collapsed to his knees, utterly spent and exhausted from the mental and physical strain of fighting Kisame. Kisame stood for a moment, watching the silent suffering of the slave beneath him, before dropping the leash to the ground and ordering, "Stay." He disappeared into his own room and seemed to be digging around from the noise. Orochimaru knelt quietly, afraid to do anything but breathe for the moment. Kisame came back rather quickly, and crouched down behind Orochimaru. The sannin felt his wrists seized and pulled behind his back, roughly bound with a coarse rope. Orochimaru felt the first of many tears slide down his cheeks: he knew that this was about the end of the line. This was rock bottom. This was the worst he'd ever been. His entire body was numb as he was led down the hallway and around a corner, stopped at a doorway and made to stand as Kisame called upon the occupant. Footsteps could be heard, and then the door opened. Kakuza stood in the doorway, huge frame almost filling the entire thing. Before he could ask questions, Kisame thrust Orochimaru's leash into his hands and said,

"Discipline him. Treat him like your slave, and make sure he knows his place. He's been absolutely horrible ever since I got him. Treat him accordingly. I just don't have the time to do so. I'll be back for him in a week."

Kakuza's eyes narrowed. "What's in it for me?" he asked. "I'm not exactly charity here-"

"You get a torture toy for your emotions, a slave, and a nice piece of ass. What else do you want?"

Kakuza turned this over in his mind. "True," he finally said. "Well, then, I thank you."

He pulled Orochimaru roughly into the room, and the door closed on Orochimaru's last chance of hope.

OOOOOOOOO

"Orochimaru?"

Itachi opened the door to a strangely empty apartment.

It was a week after he had kissed Orochimaru; a week after Pein assigned him that damn mission and he teamed up with Deidara to lie about where Orochimaru was staying for the week; a week since he had last seen his love. Normally, Orochimaru would rush to greet him; today, there was silence.

"Orochimaru? Love?" Itachi called, stepping through the door and closing it softly behind him. Come to think of it, Kisame wasn't here, either. He had said he was going to hand in the mission report, and Itachi could head up…

Itachi's heart suddenly dropped into his intestines. Oh, shit! Kisame must have lied to get to Orochimaru-! And now, the poor thing was gone; kidnapped and carted away to die-

"Yo."

Itachi spun around, and Kisame was the only thing he saw. "You," he snarled, anger suddenly swelling up in him like hot lava. "Where is he?!"

Kisame shrugged. "I'm teaching him a lesson. Or rather, a friend of mine is."

Itachi was shocked. "How dare you?!" he screeched, shoving Kisame aside. "Oh, when I find him and get my hands on you…!"

The rest of the sentence was lost as Itachi took off down the hall, completely in the wrong direction.

OOOOOOOOO

"Well, well, well, what have we here?"

Hidan came up behind Kakuza, staring intently at his new toy. Kakuza had removed the gag; now all of Orochimaru's terrified face could be revealed.  
"Doesn't exactly look like a troublesome little bitch, huh?" Kakuza said slowly. His hands rested on his hips; one foot was planted firmly on the end of Orochimaru's leash. Orochimaru drew back, but hit the door almost immediately. A small smile came over Kakuza's face.

"Well, hello," he murmured, bending over to pick up the leash. He yanked Orochimaru over to him and forced him to his knees at Kakuza's feet. "I get the feeling this is going to be a fun time…Hidan?"

The Jashinist smirked and leaned into one hip. "First time I agreed with you since…well, actually, I can't remember. You get first shot."

"With pleasure."

Kakuza yanked Orochimaru after him into his room, closing the door for a bit of a deterrent. He promptly threw Orochimaru down in front of him, and a firm kick greeted the snake's torso. Orochimaru flinched in pain, but tried to save his desperate screams for later. Judging by Kisame's lie and Kakuza's personality, it was going to be a long "later." Punches, kicks, slaps, and even the occasional rough kiss was dealt to Orochimaru until he had lost his voice from screaming. Finally, Kakuza picked him up, dumped him on the bed-

And settled on top of him.

Orochimaru screamed in horror and tried to push Kakuza away, but to no avail. A mask lifted, and harsh lips pressed to his own. Cords from everywhere on Kakuza's body to hold Orochimaru down as patchwork hands ran over Orochimaru's vulnerable body. Orochimaru could feel bitter tears emerge once more as he was kissed, held down, and violated in the sickest of ways. Finally, Kakuza broke the kiss to breathe, and Orochimaru could do nothing but lie there and cry as Kakuza got his breath back to normal. Tears fell without restraint; broken sobs burst from a choked throat. Orochimaru turned his head to the side, trying to avoid Kakuza at all costs. "Don't," he whispered, voice and body trembling. "Please…please, I haven't done anything…don't do it, please, I'm begging you! Don't do it, I can't take it anymore! Don't do it…don't do it please…"

Kakuza was stunned. This was certainly not the behavior of a slave who had done wrong; not even a wrong that deserved such punishment. Kakuza slowly sat up, and the cords retreated into his body. Orochimaru turned onto his side and curled up, sobbing miserably. Kakuza lifted himself from Orochimaru's hips, and the snake immediately shot to the other side of the room. He huddled in a corner, face buried in his knees, and arms wrapped around his knees to try to hide a bit more of his sorrow. Kakuza pulled his mask back up and slowly stood, making sure most of his skin was covered before taking a step towards Orochimaru. Orochimaru didn't even notice; he was too absorbed in pain and sorrow. Kakuza sat down cross-legged in front of him, reaching out to touch Orochimaru's face.

The snake unleashed a scream of pain and fear.

He skittered back further into the corner, as if trying to merge with the wall. Upon find that there was nowhere else to go, Orochimaru simply broke down again and cried.

"You never did anything…did you?"

Orochimaru lifted his face from his hands to stare into Kakuza's eyes for a moment, then slowly shook his head and turned away, curling up and facing the wall. His hands came up to cover and shield his face, already covered in bruises and kiss-swollen. His hands as well were bruised, and his sides were hardly in better condition. His wrists were bloody and torn from where the rope had been lost in the struggle; the leash, however, still trailed from the leather collar around Orochimaru's neck. This, too, was bruised and bloody from the fight, but Orochimaru was too frightened to allow Kakuza to get it off at this point. Kakuza exhaled slowly and stood up, only to lean back over and wrap his arms around Orochimaru. Startled, the snake tried to break away, but this time, Kakuza's touch was gentle.

"Sh, I won't hurt you anymore," he whispered, holding Orochimaru against his chest like a bride. "Come on; you want Itachi?"

Orochimaru nodded silently and whimpered with the pain felt in every step Kakuza took. He knew he had fractured several ribs; he had probably sustained head trauma and maybe even broken a bone or two in his hands. As Kakuza carried him out the door, Hidan gave him a questioning look. Kakuza muttered, "I'll explain later," and continued with Orochimaru. Hidan shrugged and returned to scarring tattoos into his body. Kakuza tried to walk slowly; it hurt Orochimaru to go much faster. Kakuza found Itachi's chakra signature and hurried toward it; the Uchiha was probably frantic by now.

Kakuza finally called out Itachi's name down the length of a hallway, and he whipped around to face Kakuza. Itachi's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the pale, shivering body in Kakuza's arms. "Oh, my God!" he cried, and ran back down the hall to Kakuza's side in no time. He stopped surprisingly quickly, and reached out to take Orochimaru from Kakuza. "My love," he whispered, easing Orochimaru to the ground. 

"My love, I-I'm so sorry." Itachi knelt on the ground, Orochimaru across his lap and supported by both arms. Itachi just stayed there for a moment, using his limited knowledge of healing to cleanse his beloved's face. Kakuza recognized a private moment-and his chance to get off the hook-and slowly walked away. Itachi was so absorbed with Orochimaru, he didn't even notice. He finally got himself under control enough to stand; he picked up Orochimaru and carried him straight down to Konan's room. He knocked on the door, but Pein answered.

"Where's Konan?" Itachi asked frostily.

"Somewhere," Pein answered, just as coldly.

"I'm here, what do you-okay, that answers that question. Come on, office."

Konan pushed past Pein and led the two down the hall, finally coming to a door at the end of the hall and opening it. She flicked on a light switch, revealing what seemed to be a hospital room with an office in the front half and the room itself in the second half. Konan took Orochimaru from Itachi, with a bit of protesting from both, and laid the snake out on a bed. She carefully checked him over, immediately determining the breaks in several ribs and healing them swiftly. But when she glanced up and spoke to Itachi, it wasn't what he expected.

"Nice job healing his head. But…" Konan took a deep breath. "He's so skittish, he won't let me check it."

Itachi was surprised. Orochimaru was…afraid? He slowly walked over to the sannin, sat down, and pulled him into his lap. One hand came up to stroke his soft, black hair, now matted with snarls and tangles from the beatings and hair-wrenching control. The other curled around his skinny back, despite the freedom of food for so long. Orochimaru was shaking; and badly. Itachi sighed and settled Orochimaru across his thighs, making sure the snake was comfortable before he turned and nodded to Konan. She nodded once in return, then walked around to the other side of the bed, where Itachi sat with Orochimaru. She knew now what Itachi was doing; he was holding Orochimaru and comforting him to keep him calm while she looked him over. Konan's hands danced skillfully over Orochimaru's entire head, occasional spats of green chakra emerging to heal the internal trauma. Finally, she stepped back, and her hands left Orochimaru's head. The snake felt as though he could breathe again, but he still clung to Itachi. His face was turned into the Uchiha's chest; his hands were wrapped around his shoulders. Itachi's arms were around his waist, and sometimes one would come up and gently caress his hair, smoothing out the worst of the tangles. Konan sat down on the other bed, only a few feet away, and gave Itachi her diagnosis.

"I healed all the internal and external damage, save for a few bruises and scrapes that didn't carry much damage. I don't want his body to become too accustomed to healing chakra. I healed the slight head trauma he had, as well as all broken bones. But…I can't heal post traumatic stress." Itachi glanced up, having a dreaded feeling he knew where this was going. "He will have a fear of being touched around the head after all he was put through. With time, patience, and just therapy, he can probably overcome it. But he must never be struck again, otherwise the trauma will become permanent. There's only one way to assume he won't be struck: to get him away from Kisame." 

Konan stared straight at Itachi, and, for a moment, he could swear she was looking right into his soul. "Itachi, you know what needs to be done."

Itachi closed his eyes and nodded, but drew Orochimaru ever closer. He worried his lower lip between his teeth, and finally said:

"I can't ever see him again. I have to let him go, and make sure he gets to Oto and into the hands of someone he truly loves and will care for him. I have to make sure everything that was once a threat to him is no more."

Konan nodded slowly. "Sometimes, if you truly love someone, you must break your heart to save theirs."

**A/N: See what reviewing does for you? Now keep it up, or the next update won't come nearly as fast!!**


	8. Chapter 8

Orochimaru sat quietly on the couch, keeping his gaze on Itachi the entire time. He knew he was safe as long as Itachi was in the same room, but Kisame was lurking in the kitchen, along with Itachi, who was making dinner. Apparently, Itachi was a miracle in the kitchen, because Kisame seemed to be waiting like a hungry dog for food. Itachi would occasionally glare, and Kisame would shiver and look away. The cycle repeated itself several times, and finally, Itachi put some food on three plates, dividing everything completely evenly. He handed one plate to Kisame with a stony glare and completely without a sound. Then, his expression considerably softened, and he handed Orochimaru his food and a pair of chopsticks. He sat down next to his lover on the couch, kicked up his feet on the coffee table, and began to eat his own food. Kisame sat down at the table in the kitchen, seemingly ignoring Itachi and Orochimaru. Orochimaru dug into his dinner hungrily: rice with beef and broccoli. Wow, Itachi really was a miracle in the kitchen: Orochimaru had only tasted food this good once before, and that was when Kabuto mad him some onigiri after training one day. He had smirked, given Orochimaru two, and said that it was his mother's recipe. Orochimaru was amazed and asked which one. Kabuto shrugged, saying he didn't know, and he had found it shoved into one of his scrolls. Orochimaru was hit with a sudden pang of sadness, but then hope. Konan had said that Itachi needed to take him back, so maybe it would happen soon! Besides, Itachi had wanted to free him this entire time: all the more reason.

"Orochimaru, you okay?"

Orochimaru started out of his reverie, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay," he murmured, setting down his empty plate on the coffee table, chopsticks neatly set on the edge. "Thank you; it was amazing."

Itachi smiled. "Yeah, you know…Sharingan aimed at Mommy."

Orochimaru gave a small smile in return. "Even so, thank you."

Itachi wrapped his arm around Orochimaru's shoulders, pulling the sannin over against his side. Orochimaru gladly shifted his weight, settling comfortably in the curves of Itachi's body. Kisame, meanwhile, looked on in disgust. Clearly, he hated the sight of Orochimaru and Itachi together, almost happy.

"You two look like you're up to something."

"No, we're just happy. That allowed?"

Kisame gave a growl of annoyance and Itachi sat up slightly to glare at him.

"I've swallowed things more frightening than you."

Kisame turned around and hurled the plate he was carrying like a Frisbee straight towards Orochimaru. Without thinking, Orochimaru caught it, leapt to his feet on the couch, and sent it spiraling back. Kisame's only expression was that of shock as the plate exploded against his turned back. Clearly he did not expect Orochimaru to suddenly be so bold.

"Did you just throw that at me?" he said, still in shock. Orochimaru crossed his arms across his chest and answered, voice dripping with sarcasm:

"It was not the wind."

Kisame immediately started towards Orochimaru, grabbing Samehada along the way. Orochimaru faltered and took a step back. Itachi put a hand on his thigh and stood up next to Orochimaru, but he stepped out onto the floor. "I'll be behind you," he murmured. "But this is your battle. Fight it."

Orochimaru swallowed hard. He knew this was important, but he was afraid. How could he possibly win? There was no way! He had no weapons, and even taijutsu, Kisame had the advantage-

When in doubt, improvise.

As Kisame advanced on him, Orochimaru remembered Kabuto's words to him during a training session. If there was nothing else, use the first thing you could get your hands on. If you're creative enough, everything in a room is a potential weapon. Orochimaru reached down and grabbed the chopsticks he and Itachi had used to eat: senbon! He hurled them at Kisame's eyes, two at a time, and then picked up the plates. He waited until Kisame was busy knocking away his improvised needles to throw the plates at Kisame's head. The exploded fantastically, and Orochimaru caught several of the larger shards to use as knives. Kisame was angry now: he was swinging Samehada back and forth, trying to catch Orochimaru as the pale snake darted in and out of his range of motion and sight.

Kisame wasn't moving much, and Orochimaru was moving a lot. He would tire first, despite having the lighter, easier to maneuver body. Wait; that was it! Kisame couldn't move very easily, because he was so big! The drawback to having such enormous size and strength was that it was difficult to move it all. Agility was sacrificed for brute strength and bulk. Meanwhile, Orochimaru had impressive strength and agility. He had the advantage after all! He dove in from the bottom with his "knife," aiming to stab up. Kisame would need to lean back, catch himself, and then the best choice would be to back flip to get away from Orochimaru. But, since Kisame was so big, he had even less room to move around than Orochimaru did. Sure enough, the strike threw Kisame off balance, and the shark-man tumbled backwards and rolled over instead of the graceful back flip that would take him safely away from Orochimaru. The sannin flew in again. Speed also was sacrificed in Kisame's impressive strength-the more he had to move, the slower he was forced to perform his actions. Orochimaru, however, ducked down at the last second and swept his leg under Kisame's feet, trying to knock him over. Kisame, however, wasn't that stupid: he saw Orochimaru go down, even as he was preparing for the frontal assault, had jumped over the blow. Bu what he hadn't seen was Orochimaru's follow-up: a strong kick to the jaw that sent Kisame flying. Kisame cried out in pain, surprise, and fury as he crashed through the wall, ending up in his bedroom. Orochimaru picked up the plate shard he had dropped and ran after Kisame, not giving the shark any time to recover. He jumped through the wall, landed in a roll, and sprang to his feet using the momentum. Kisame had just gotten up, blocking Orochimaru's exit route. Orochimaru swallowed hard: now or never…

He charged Kisame head on, swinging the shard up towards Kisame's throat at the last second.

Time seemed to slow down.

Orochimaru waited; where was it? The one moment that Kisame ultimately failed himself, thinking that was Orochimaru's only attack-there! Both of his eyes fixed on the shard, and Kisame's body devoted itself to the motion to seize Orochimaru's wrist just as the other hand blurred in motion, another glass shard in it.

The blow connected with Kisame's stomach.

A shocked expression registered on Kisame's face before his mouth slid open and blood poured from the corners of his mouth. His face twitched with anger, pain, and disbelief. He reached down as Orochimaru withdrew the shard and stabbed again, screwing up his eyes and turning his head away. He heard the sickening _squelch!_ that meant he had connected, and plunged the other piece of pottery into Kisame's throat. He decided to end the shark's suffering quickly, so it wouldn't endanger him either. Blood dripped down Orochimaru's arms as he felt Kisame's pulse drop out and finally stop, his dying words reaching Orochimaru's ears like a sonic shockwave.

"Tell Itachi…I loved him."

Orochimaru felt Kisame's body drop away from him, and his hands came up to his mouth in shock. Blood smeared across his face and torso, but hardly any was his own. A few scratches; nothing more. Orochimaru collapsed to his knees, still in shock over what he had just learned. He checked Kisame's vitals: stone dead. He would never know…Orochimaru lifted his face, glancing around. Blood was everywhere; on the wall, splattered all over the floor and Orochimaru…

"I heard him."

Orochimaru's head snapped around to see Itachi, standing in the hole in the wall. He climbed through and took Orochimaru's hand in his. "Come on," he whispered, "I'm going to clean you up." Orochimaru nodded numbly and followed Itachi obediently. Itachi took him into the bathroom and stood him in the shower, then closed the curtain and walked out, telling Orochimaru to clean himself off and he would be back shortly with clean clothes. Orochimaru stripped, still in a state of shock. He turned on the water, making it as hot as he could and slowly washing out his hair. The blood washed off his body like dirt, and came off smoothly and cleanly. It all spiraled down the drain, leaving no trace that blood had ever been in there. Orochimaru finished washing himself off just as Itachi knocked on the door, and he shut off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist. "Just a second!" he called, and stepped out of the shower. He hastily wrapped a towel around his hair and piled it on top of his head, then opened the door for Itachi. He took the clothes and was about to close the door again when Itachi stopped him.

"You…look so sexy when you're wet."

Orochimaru gave a small smile. "Well, thank you," he said coyly. "But I'd prefer it if I was dry and clothed before you kissed me."

Itachi's expression feigned disappointment. "Damn. Well, that rules out the gorgeous night of sex I have planned for us. I wanted to start in the shower so it didn't hurt as bad."

Orochimaru smiled a bit. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm taken, remember?"

He softly closed the door, signifying that his statement was final. But Orochimaru wished he was as sure as he sounded: Itachi had been so good to him, and he was starting to get attached to the Uchiha. Maybe it was more of a brother-to-brother relationship, but it still bothered Orochimaru that he was losing loyalty. Hadn't Kabuto been far better to him over the years than Itachi? Itachi had almost killed Orochimaru earlier in life, and had certainly tried. But Kabuto…Kabuto had never done anything that would even cause Orochimaru concern. They boy could hold a kunai to Orochimaru's neck, even draw a shallow line of blood, before Orochimaru would stop him. And here…Orochimaru would most likely lash out if Itachi even brought a kunai near him. Orochimaru was disgusted with himself-falling for his slave master!

As Orochimaru dressed and combed his hair, he couldn't help but wonder if Kabuto missed him anymore. What had it been since they last saw each other? It felt like years to Orochimaru, but it had probably only been a matter of days…

"You okay?"

Orochimaru jumped at the soft tapping on the door, accompanied by Itachi's gentle inquisition. Orochimaru sighed and put down the hairbrush he was using, realizing that he had been brushing the same spot for several minutes straight now. Vanity, or distraction? Orochimaru decided to give himself the benefit of the doubt and say distraction. He did have a lot on his mind after all.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he finally called back, and opened the door. "Sorry about that…"

Itachi shook his head. "No, it's nothing. Just making sure…"

Orochimaru shrugged. "Well, what now?" he murmured. Itachi placed a long cloak over Orochimaru's shoulders and took his hand, pulling him over to the window and pushing it open.

"Now we run."

OOOOOOOOOO

Pein could hear something going on upstairs. It sounded like Itachi and Kisame's room…damn little snake. Probably got between Kisame's feet and was sniveling in a corner while Itachi defended him and Kisame fought with him about it. Pein had banged on the ceiling with a few rocks thrown upwards many times, but that didn't seem to get anyone's attention but Konan's. "Let them fight it out," she had told him. "If they needed help, they would have come for it."

Pein sighed. "They need to shut up," he muttered. "It's giving me a migraine."

Konan had only sighed and rolled her eyes, and then gone back to her romance novel. Pein had made a comment about "the mushy crap," and then Konan had blindsided him with the book and a terrific smack upside the head. Pein did a faceplant across the room, and Konan was left laughing as he complained about tearing piercings. She went back to her couch and book, still grinning demonically as Pein found himself finally enjoying a bit of quiet.

A chakra faded out and, minutes later, another disappeared-out a window and quickly faded out into the distance. Pein realized what was going on-one of them was dead-killed by the other! Pein's teeth ground together and he swung around to face Konan. She had an astonished look on her face and was staring up at the ceiling like something was being spelled out there. That was when Pein realized she was missing an eye. Konan must have split it off into paper and re-formed it in Itachi and Kisame's room.

"They're gone," she said hurriedly. "And Kisame's dead!"

"By whose hand?" Pein pressed. "Well, that's a stupid question-the dumb animal is too stupid to-"

Konan shook her head. "No. It was Orochimaru's hand that took Kisame's life." Paper rushed in under the door and pooled in Kona's eye socket, forming her eye once again. Konan blinked it back into place once or twice, then put a bookmark in her novel and set it aside. "I'm fairly understanding, but that's too far," she said. "While I understand that attempted rape, unfounded beatings, starvation, and abuse warrant a heavy penalty, death was not by any means what I had in mind."

Pein only seemed furious at that point. "Uchiha better have a good explanation for not keeping a leash on his pet," he snarled, "Because if he doesn't, I will!"

**A/N: ZOMG!! PLOT TWIST!! Who saw it coming? That's right, not many!! ;) Enjoy, peeps, and review or I will not update!!**


	9. Chapter 9

Itachi could see something different in Orochimaru's eyes as they ran. He looked like a man who had seen the true horrors of the earth and come back from hell to tell all. And, in a way, Itachi supposed he had. His love had been tortured so badly during his stay at Akatsuki, and it pained Itachi to know that he could do next to nothing: only comfort him. But, with Orochimaru's massive comeback, they could both continue their lives. But what had sparked Orochimaru's emotions so? What had brought him back from his broken, crumpled nature and demeanor of submission?

"Orochimaru?"

The snake glanced over at him. "Yes?"

"What happened…back there? What made you throw that back at Kisame?"

Orochimaru's gaze dropped to his feet. "I don't know," he said slowly. "I just kind of…did it. It was like my body was acting on its own." He shrugged. "I'm just happy I get to see Kabuto again." Orochimaru's eyes seemed to light up at the thought of Kabuto; his love, who he had raised from childhood. And when their ages came close, by Orochimaru's switching bodes, they grew even closer than before. Itachi could see it in Orochimaru's body and soul throughout their entire affair-Orochimaru was not a virgin, and no one in Akatsuki was responsible for such a statement. There was only one person who could account for even touching Orochimaru, let alone having sex with him. And that person was a certain silver-haired nerd Itachi had grown to envy quite a bit ever since he had seen his cute little face.

Sure, his plans for keeping Orochimaru for himself had been trashed. Sure, he might have just written his own epitaph by fleeing and laving behind a body. Sure, he had probably just sealed his crush's fate as well, by him being the murderer. And sure, he had lost everything, including a friend, by going after Orochimaru, but…

But he was happy.

Orochimaru was alright, and, with luck, the trauma wouldn't get too far. Kabuto should be able to reverse it…Itachi shook his head. Orochimaru was so lucky to have Kabuto. He only wished him happiness at this point.

"You're quiet."

"Hm…"

Itachi made no response further to Orochimaru's comment, still deep in thought. Orochimaru shrugged it off, knowing Itachi's nature, and said nothing further on the matter. The two travelled silently for a few more minutes, but Itachi broke the silence again.

"Orochimaru…will you miss me?"

Orochimaru was startled by the question. "Well…of course," he said, puzzled by the question posed to him. "I mean, you were my only comfort through out those weeks of pain and torture-you were my savior. I can't just forget you. I don't think I'll miss you to the point that I cut and starve myself, if that's what you're getting at, but I will miss you a lot."

Itachi gave a hum of recognition. "Well, I don't want you to miss me. You have such a wonderful life, and someone else who loves you more than I do. Orochimaru, I never meant to love you. I always wanted to tame you, and to make you rely on me so much you submit to me willingly. And I wanted to make you mine. I never meant to love you purely…but somehow, I ended up doing so, and I hated myself for feeling such emotions for…a mere slave. But then I realized: you were so much more than just my toy. You were my love interest; a person on equal footing with me. Just because other people treated you like garbage didn't mean I had to. I also realized…that you were not mine to take." Itachi paused, unsure of what he wanted to say. "I couldn't stand seeing you with another. It made me angry, that you would refuse to belong to me because of another. So, I sought Kabuto's life. But then I saw how happy you were…and I couldn't do it. So, I let Kabuto go, but decided to keep you and try one last time to win you over. But it was Persephone and Hades-you kept refusing me, the sweet taste of our one kiss reminding you of someone else. I almost felt guilty for making you feel such pain, but I knew I couldn't just let you go. And then Kisame gave you to Kakuza, and that was it. Konan said you couldn't be beaten again, or you would be truly broken. And so, I resolved to get you away from the Akatsuki, so that you would never have to be hurt again. And then Kisame…" Itachi shook his head. "Things just kind of fell into place."

Orochimaru was nothing short of shell-shocked. He could only stare at Itachi for a moment. "Well, then," he whispered. "It's a good thing I will leave you with no regrets."

Itachi knew what Orochimaru meant. He meant that he never wanted to see Itachi again, and he would not regret leaving him-and no looking back. And that he hated Itachi for what he had tried to do. And that he would purposely throw himself at Kabuto when they reached Oto, just to spite Itachi. Itachi sighed lightly and chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "I don't blame you for hating me," he finally said. "You have every right. But…I would like you to promise me one thing."

Orochimaru glanced over to Itachi, his face like stone.

"I would like safe passage in and out of your territory. Me, and me alone. I will let you know when I am coming and going. Would that be alright?"

Orochimaru sighed. Itachi had saved him; he supposed he could repay Itachi a bit. "Sure," he said. "But if you dare bring anyone else in, or spill anything you might have found out in this land, Itachi, so help me, my debt to you will fall to your tombstone!"

Itachi smirked. "Really, now, dear," he said softly. "Well, then, I suppose I'll just have to behave myself for once, hm?"

Orochimaru nodded, and began slowing down. He jumped down out of the tree they were running on, landing gracefully on the ground and walking on. "There are several of my ninja here," the sannin said softly, motioning Itachi after him. "We're at the gates, but coming from an odd angle. The path is a bit east of here." Orochimaru approached the gates without hesitation, though, pushing through the bushes with Itachi right behind him. The guards at the gate seemed surprised; they asked Orochimaru for a password. Orochimaru gave it to them gladly in an ANBU code that seemed to apply only to Otonin. Itachi couldn't understand their words at all. The guard's faces suddenly seemed to fall into shock, and they immediately took in the state of their lord. Two of them gently put Orochimaru's arms over their shoulders and helped him walk into Oto, Itachi following closely. The Otonin led Orochimaru around a back way, to spare him a bit of dignity. When Orochimaru finally got to his room, he was panting with the effort of moving with his wounds and whimpering in pain. The guards seemed tired, as well: they were moving as slowly as their master, and they seemed almost tired. Itachi stepped in, wrapping his arms around Orochimaru's waist and gently prying him from the Otonins' grip. Orochimaru went to him gladly, leaving the Otonin puzzled. They glanced at each other before taking a step towards Itachi, attempting to pull Orochimaru away from Itachi.

"Go away."

Orochimaru's eyes were closed, but it seemed he could sense the Otonin moving towards him. "Get Kabuto," Orochimaru whispered. His eyes slid open, and he saw the Otonin hesitate. "Now!" he barked, half turning around. The Otonin took off at a run, and Orochimaru let out a small moan of contentment.

"Don't get confident," he muttered. "Because once Kabuto gets here, you are yesterday's news."

Itachi smiled and gently began stroking Orochimaru's hair, just like he had comforted him back in Akatsuki. "So, you're just using me until then?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're beautiful," he whispered, placing a soft, chaste kiss on Orochimaru's lips. Orochimaru whipped his head around, then planted it firmly against Itachi's shoulder.

"Don't gimme that shit."

Orochimaru's hands settled on Itachi's shoulders, and he slipped a bit closer to the Uchiha. "And yet, I still want you to be close to me. Amazing."

Itachi's smile grew. "It's because I actually love you. I know it's hard to believe, but I see my wrong now and want to make up for it."

Orochimaru sighed and stepped back. "You certainly know how to sweet-talk me," he mumbled. "Look, when Kabuto gets here, just…just don't tell him any of this, okay? Let's just…pretend it never happened."

Itachi nodded. "But…you do know that I'm not going to just leave and never come back? I will come back occasionally."

Orochimaru shook his head. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Besides-" he paused as he heard his door open. "We have other business to attend to right now." Orochimaru turned around just as Kabuto stepped through the door-

And froze.

Orochimaru took off at a run, throwing his arms around Kabuto's shoulders and holding onto him for dear life. Kabuto's arms wrapped around Orochimaru's waist, picking him up and spinning him around before coming to a halt and kissing him. Itachi just watched for a moment, face set like flint, before breezing past the couple and disappearing.

Orochimaru was left on his knees on the floor, gasping and clutching at his stomach in pain.

Every Otonin was suddenly clustered around him, trying to protect him from something they couldn't see. Orochimaru was knocked to his side when a blow was dealt to his face; he was suddenly kicked in the side, and then lifted up and thrown across the room. A figure suddenly appeared before the Otonin, clothed in red and black and pierced with metal bars and studs. Orange spiky hair half-covered a scratched-out Amegakure symbol, and the rest of his body was hidden by a long cloak.

"Pein," Kabuto snarled. "I should have known. How did you find us, though?"

Pein smirked and reached out, seizing something they could still not see. Pein dragged out a struggling Itachi by the hair, catching the hand that lashed out at him and wrestling Itachi to the floor. "He led me right to you," he said smugly, grinding Itachi's face into the ground. Itachi grunted with the pain and struggled even more, desperately trying to free himself. He couldn't let Pein just take Orochimaru-he just couldn't! Pein's weight lifted from his back, and Itachi heard footsteps heading away from him. His heart leapt to his throat as he heard a frightened squeal, and then he turned over onto his back. His eyes widened in horror.

Pein had viciously struck Orochimaru, and a bruise was forming on his pale cheek already. His hand was wrapped around Orochimaru's throat, holding him at arm's length in the air. Orochimaru's nails had already clawed long scratched in Pein's arms, something that Pein was obviously not happy about.

"Shut up!" he shouted, and threw Orochimaru back into the wall with such force that Orochimaru's body caused the wall to buckle in under the pressure. "Stupid little-"

"Leave him alone!"

A kunai dug its way deep into Pein's shoulder, and he whipped around just in time to deflect the one headed straight for his heart. "Don't you dare touch him," Itachi snarled, letting loose another pair of kunai. "Leave him the hell alone!"

Pein slowly turned around the rest of the way, smirking. "And give me one reason why." He laughed and crossed his arms over his chest, clearly not taking either of the two seriously. "Itachi, you're weak and pathetic. This little slave has brought you so low…I can't believe that you would be such a sucker for a whore's charm, but hey, you're young. Testosterone runs rampant at your age. I'll forgive it; if you forget him completely. But until then, Itachi, you have greatly lost my respect."

The entire time Pein was talking, Orochimaru had been inching closer and closer to the kunai Pein had knocked away when Itachi threw it at him. His fingers slowly curled around it; his hand's shaking transferred to the blade. Still, his resolve was never stronger as he rose to his feet, still keeping silent, raised the kunai-

"Itachi, you really need to learn to-"

Pein's mouth was suddenly spewing blood instead of words.

Orochimaru was behind him, letting go of the hilt of a kunai buried deep in Pein's heart. His body was failing him-he fell to the ground, eyes glazed over and glassy. Itachi was shocked-had Orochimaru really come that far so fast?

Orochimaru ran directly to Kabuto, throwing his arms around his neck and holding on for dear life. Bitter-sweet tears fell from molten eyes, trailing down pale cheeks in whispers of glassy sorrow and emotion. Orochimaru just stood there for a moment, crying into Kabuto's shoulder while tears slipped from dark black eyes and fell onto ebony hair, stroked by the hand of a lover.

"I'll leave him with you. He's happy."

When Orochimaru looked up, Itachi was gone.

**A/N: A tad short, but I thought that was a nice place to end. One more chapter, folks! Review for a good one!!**


	10. Chapter 10

Orochimaru sat quietly on the stool Kabuto had instructed him to sit on, holding as still as he could while Kabuto repaired the damage done to his back. It wasn't much, but Kabuto had still wanted to check him over. Orochimaru thought Kabuto only wanted an excuse to get his hands all over him, and frankly, he wanted an excuse for Kabuto touch him. And so he consented to a lengthy session in the office, just letting Kabuto run his hands over his body and heal whatever he thought necessary to heal-or whenever Orochimaru flinched in pain. Orochimaru sat quietly, letting Kabuto do his work and obeying every order he was given. He was content to just sit there; it was the first time he had been able to do so in weeks.

"Orochimaru-sama, what exactly happened back in the Akatsuki?"

Orochimaru stiffened slightly, and Kabuto felt it immediately in his fingers, which were resting on Orochimaru's shoulders. Kabuto's fingers began to move in long, slow, circles, easing out the knots of tension in Orochimaru's shoulders. Orochimaru relaxed a bit under Kabuto's soothing touch, but Kabuto knew it was still a sensitive topic. A week later and Orochimaru still shied at any move made towards his head, and clammed up when Akatsuki was mentioned. Kabuto had only asked once, but he still knew Orochimaru was badly traumatized.

"It started with Sasuke."

Kabuto's heart leapt to his throat; maybe Orochimaru would finally give him an idea of what had happened! He kept his mouth shut, though: the worst thing he could do was rush Orochimaru.

"He imprisoned me in his mind…and during that battle, he couldn't hold me back anymore, so I broke free. Itachi was the victor; he killed Sasuke, seeing him as a threat, and took his eyes anyway. Three tomoes was good enough for him, he said, and he got his own version of the Mangekyou because Sasuke was dead-and now Kisame is, so it's full. Itachi…at first, he only wanted me as his slave. He wanted me broken so I would come to him willingly. Oh, I broke alright. But he still couldn't have me. Kisame and Pein wanted me, and half the Akatsuki wanted my virginity. I…I couldn't fight them, for some reason. I couldn't even stop them from touching me…" Orochimaru angrily shook his head, and Kabuto realized that self-blame was setting in. It was common among abuse and rape victims-God, what had happened to Orochimaru?!

"I was nowhere near strong enough, and Itachi had to come and save me. He-he stopped treating me like garbage after that, and started defending me. He kept me safe, and…for a while…I thought he actually cared about me, and was growing on me. But then…Kisame tricked Itachi…to take me away from him…and he gave me to one of his friends, telling to do whatever he wanted to me…it was the worst beating I ever got. And he-he tried to rape me…I couldn't do anything. I just lay there and cried. Finally, he realized that I didn't do anything…and he stopped. He took me to Itachi…and he took me to Konan…she healed me, and Itachi took me back to his room. We stayed there for a little while...and then Kisame attacked us. I-I killed him. And then Itachi ran away with me…and we came straight here."

Kabuto's eyes were wide by the time Orochimaru had finished. There wasn't much detail to his story, but Kabuto knew what had happened, and that was all that mattered. He wasn't going to push Orochimaru any further today. Kabuto wordlessly walked around to face Orochimaru and put his arms around him, just holding him and trying to comfort him somewhat. Orochimaru's hands found Kabuto's shoulders and wrapped around his neck. Orochimaru buried his face in Kabuto's shoulder, fully aware that his emotions were swiftly overtaking him. Tears were pooling in the corners of his eyes, and his shoulders had begun to shake. Kabuto gently stroked his hair, assuring him it was alright. Orochimaru suddenly lost it-here was the love, the comfort, the attention, he had needed and never had in Akatsuki. He let it out, tears pouring down his face and sobs wracking his skinny body. Orochimaru was done-he only wanted Kabuto, and wanted nothing to do with anyone else at all. Itachi had both broken him and saved him-and Kabuto wasn't sure which to hold against him. As Orochimaru sobbed, Kabuto carefully picked him up, wordlessly carrying him to his room. A long back way saved Orochimaru the pain of breaking down in front of everyone in Oto, and Kabuto entered his master's suite with the silence of the many snakes that resides there. Most of them came scurrying over to Kabuto, worried about their master. Kabuto ignored them for the most part, setting Orochimaru down on the bed and sitting down next to him.

"You okay?"

Orochimaru shook his head, and Kabuto sighed lightly. He reached around, behind Orochimaru's back, and carefully pulled off the rope belt that was around his waist. He lifted Orochimaru a bit, bracing him on his shoulder as he removed also the tan overlay, setting both aside. By now, Orochimaru's desperate sobs had softened to the occasional gasp, or the soft whimper when Kabuto stood up and walked away. He came back with a cream-colored kimono, which he set around Orochimaru's shoulders and tied with a white sash. Orochimaru sat quietly now, his tears hardly falling anymore. Kabuto knew it was dangerous for Orochimaru to be alone: he had cut himself before, and Kabuto didn't put it past him to do it again. Orochimaru had trouble opening up to someone, and tended to keep all of his emotions to himself. Thus, he had no outlet for his emotions, and took it all out on himself. Kabuto sat down next to Orochimaru and put one arm around him, letting Orochimaru lean on his shoulder. No words were spoken for a few moments; none were needed. Besides, words would ruin such a moment.

Finally, Orochimaru began to relax a bit. His muscles uncoiled, and he began leaning on Kabuto more and more. Kabuto stretched out on the bed, putting his bare feet up on the bed and laying back against the pillows piled against the headboard. He pulled Orochimaru back with him, letting the sannin put his head on Kabuto's shoulder and lie next to him. Kabuto's hand began to move in Orochimaru's hair, gently stroking and comforting Orochimaru. Kabuto had no idea how much time passed; he didn't want to get up and check and ruin the moment. And Kabuto wasn't about to be reminded of how tight on time they were for running the village, evading Akatsuki, and keeping up with-

He was doing it again.

Kabuto took a deep breath, relaxed, and fell asleep right after Orochimaru did.

OOOOOOOOOO

Orochimaru woke up strangely comfortable.

He moaned slightly and shifted a bit, not opening his eyes to see whose arms he lay in. He didn't have to; only Kabuto would ever be daring enough to embrace him in such an intimate manner. Orochimaru shivered and began groping blindly for the blanket; it seemed that neither of them had slept very soundly.

Or Kabuto was a blanket thief.

Orochimaru sighed as he was forced to open his eyes, and found that Kabuto had stripped down to boxers and had his arms wrapped tightly around Orochimaru. Orochimaru smiled and grabbed the blanket from around their ankles, sliding down a bit and kicking it up into his hand. Kabuto stirred, but did not wake; Orochimaru gave a little huff of relief. He wanted to prolong this moment. Orochimaru settled deeper against Kabuto's chest, tucking his head into the genin's neck. Kabuto was very comfortable…

At least, until that happened.

Orochimaru and Kabuto both started at the sudden banging on the bedroom door, and Kabuto jumped almost ten feet in the air. Shouting accompanied the banging, and Orochimaru's nasty threats soon followed. But then a single word caught Orochimaru's attention: weasel. He had caught Itachi's name amongst the chaos. Orochimaru sat up excitedly, throwing back the sheets and bolting out of bed. Kabuto followed, grabbing his clothes along the way and pulling them hastily on as he made for the door. He had just settled his sash around his waist when Orochimaru opened the door, asking about Itachi. The ninja, a male of his young thirties, told Orochimaru that Itachi had arrived at the gate a few minutes ago requesting to see him. This ninja was a gate guard; he had personally answered when Itachi called. Orochimaru shoved past the guard, not caring about his current state of dress. He had on a kimono over his black pants and shirt; it covered everything, and didn't look hideous. He would live. Orochimaru jumped into a pair of thin sandals as he ran out the door, and made it to the gate in no time. He slowed to a walk a few steps away; he brushed himself off, straightened his clothes, and stepped forward. His pale white hands set on the latch for the massive gates; they swung open at the flick of a wrist and a bit of chakra for effort.

Itachi stood in front of Orochimaru, without his Akatsuki cloak and an Oto headband.

Orochimaru gasped, both hands coming up to cover his mouth. "No," he whispered, taking another step back. "No, you wouldn't…you couldn't…!"

Itachi smirked and swept into the village, picking up Orochimaru and spinning them both around in a wild circle, terminating with a passionate embrace. "Consider yourself my Kage now," Itachi said with a grin. "I'm still stronger than you, but for now…I'll live. Just keep me busy!"

Orochimaru smiled and stepped back. "I will," he said softly. Itachi's arms were still around Orochimaru's waist; he drew the sannin closer to himself, a pensive look on his face.

"Orochimaru…now that we can be together…"

"Don't even say it."

Orochimaru shuddered and pushed Itachi away. "I-I can't…don't make me choose," he whimpered. "Don't make me choose between my faithful servant and my rescuer. I just-I can't do it. I'm sorry."

"No, that wasn't what I was going to ask," Itachi said quickly. "I was going to ask if it would make things awkward between you and Kabuto…since you're back together with him. Besides…I know how much you love him."

Orochimaru quieted. "Thank you," he said, almost inaudibly. "I can't believe you would do something like that for me…"

"Sometimes, when you love someone, you must break your own heart to spare theirs."

The look on Itachi's face was gentle; his eyes were calm and deactivated Sharingan. Having Sasuke's eyes, Itachi could now loose his Sharingan from its constant strain and let it recede into the depths of his eyes, giving way to a soft, coal black. His hands were soft as he guided Orochimaru's head towards his shoulder and stroked his hair, trying to reassure him. But of what, he didn't know.

"But…may I ask for one last kiss?"

Orochimaru half-turned, one of Itachi's arms still around his waist. Kabuto sighed and rolled his eyes.

"If it shuts him up and keeps him out of your pants."

Orochimaru smiled at the joke, then turned back to Itachi. He nodded twice, giving Itachi his own permission. Itachi leaned forward, one hand coming up from Orochimaru's hair to hold his head as their lips met. Itachi held his tongue out of respect for Orochimaru; he only wanted a farewell. He broke the kiss fairly quickly, also out of respect, and took one final step back. "I'll settle anywhere you want me to," he said, taking Orochimaru's shoulders in his hands. Orochimaru shrugged.

"Anywhere," he said. "I will allow you a spot in the complex if you wish. Or, you could get an apartment or a house out further…whatever you want."

"I'll stay," Itachi said. "In the complex, I mean. But towards the edge; you and Kabuto will probably need the privacy."

Orochimaru sighed. "And such is the price of love."

Itachi gently pushed Orochimaru back, right into Kabuto's arms. He gave Orochimaru a soft smirk and headed into the complex, leaving Kabuto and Orochimaru standing in the middle of a crowd, Kabuto with his arms around Orochimaru's stomach and Orochimaru with his head on Kabuto's shoulder. Orochimaru glanced up, noticing all the people, and gestured like he was shooing away a pesky bug.

"It's not polite to stare."

**A/N: A little humor for the end note there. Well, that does it, folks! I was pretty writer's blocked on this, partly because there's a new ItaKaka fic swimming around up there…-taps on head and pile of brain mush plops out-I will be making that a beautiful sculpture in a few days. So! keep an eye out for it, and make sure to review, both for this and that. Thank you to all my loyal reviewers and even a few irregular ones, and I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I did!**


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